by
by L. Frank Baum
Contents
Introduction
1. The Cyclone
2. The Council with the Munchkins
3. How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow
4. The Road Through the Forest
5. The Rescue of the Tin Woodman
6. The Cowardly Lion
7. The Journey to the Great Oz
8. The Deadly Poppy Field
9. The Queen of the Field Mice
10. The Guardian of the Gates
11. The Emerald City of Oz
12. The Search for the Wicked Witch
13. The Rescue
14. The Winged Monkeys
15. The Discovery of Oz the Terrible
16. The Magic Art of the Great Humbug
17. How the Balloon Was Launched
18. Away to the South
19. Attacked by the Fighting Trees
20. The Dainty China Country
21. The Lion Becomes the King of Beasts
22. The Country of the Quadlings
23. Glinda The Good Witch Grants Dorothy's Wish
24. Home Again
Introduction
Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhoodthrough the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome andinstinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestlyunreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought morehappiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.
Yet the old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now beclassed as "historical" in the children's library; for the time hascome for a series of newer "wonder tales" in which the stereotypedgenie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horribleand blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point afearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality;therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder talesand gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident.
Having this thought in mind, the story of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being amodernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained andthe heartaches and nightmares are left out.
L. Frank Baum
Chicago, April, 1900.
THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ
1. The Cyclone
Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with UncleHenry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife. Theirhouse was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagonmany miles. There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made oneroom; and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a cupboard forthe dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle Henryand Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner, and Dorothy a little bed inanother corner. There was no garret at all, and no cellar--except asmall hole dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the familycould go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough tocrush any building in its path. It was reached by a trap door in themiddle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, darkhole.
When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could seenothing but the great gray prairie on every side. Not a tree nor ahouse broke the broad sweep of flat country that reached to the edge ofthe sky in all directions. The sun had baked the plowed land into agray mass, with little cracks running through it. Even the grass wasnot green, for the sun had burned the tops of the long blades untilthey were the same gray color to be seen everywhere. Once the househad been painted, but the sun blistered the paint and the rains washedit away, and now the house was as dull and gray as everything else.
When Aunt Em came there to live she was a young, pretty wife. The sunand wind had changed her, too. They had taken the sparkle from hereyes and left them a sober gray; they had taken the red from her cheeksand lips, and they were gray also. She was thin and gaunt, and neversmiled now. When Dorothy, who was an orphan, first came to her, AuntEm had been so startled by the child's laughter that she would screamand press her hand upon her heart whenever Dorothy's merry voicereached her ears; and she still looked at the little girl with wonderthat she could find anything to laugh at.
Uncle Henry never laughed. He worked hard from morning till night anddid not know what joy was. He was gray also, from his long beard tohis rough boots, and he looked stern and solemn, and rarely spoke.
It was Toto that made Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as grayas her other surroundings. Toto was not gray; he was a little blackdog, with long silky hair and small black eyes that twinkled merrily oneither side of his funny, wee nose. Toto played all day long, andDorothy played with him, and loved him dearly.
Today, however, they were not playing. Uncle Henry sat upon thedoorstep and looked anxiously at the sky, which was even grayer thanusual. Dorothy stood in the door with Toto in her arms, and looked atthe sky too. Aunt Em was washing the dishes.
From the far north they heard a low wail of the wind, and Uncle Henryand Dorothy could see where the long grass bowed in waves before thecoming storm. There now came a sharp whistling in the air from thesouth, and as they turned their eyes that way they saw ripples in thegrass coming from that direction also.
Suddenly Uncle Henry stood up.
"There's a cyclone coming, Em," he called to his wife. "I'll go lookafter the stock." Then he ran toward the sheds where the cows andhorses were kept.
Aunt Em dropped her work and came to the door. One glance told her ofthe danger close at hand.
"Quick, Dorothy!" she screamed. "Run for the cellar!"
Toto jumped out of Dorothy's arms and hid under the bed, and the girlstarted to get him. Aunt Em, badly frightened, threw open the trapdoor in the floor and climbed down the ladder into the small, darkhole. Dorothy caught Toto at last and started to follow her aunt.When she was halfway across the room there came a great shriek from thewind, and the house shook so hard that she lost her footing and satdown suddenly upon the floor.
Then a strange thing happened.
The house whirled around two or three times and rose slowly through theair. Dorothy felt as if she were going up in a balloon.
The north and south winds met where the house stood, and made it theexact center of the cyclone. In the middle of a cyclone the air isgenerally still, but the great pressure of the wind on every side ofthe house raised it up higher and higher, until it was at the very topof the cyclone; and there it remained and was carried miles and milesaway as easily as you could carry a feather.
It was very dark, and the wind howled horribly around her, but Dorothyfound she was riding quite easily. After the first few whirls around,and one other time when the house tipped badly, she felt as if she werebeing rocked gently, like a baby in a cradle.
Toto did not like it. He ran about the room, now here, now there,barking loudly; but Dorothy sat quite still on the floor and waited tosee what would happen.
Once Toto got too near the open trap door, and fell in; and at firstthe little girl thought she had lost him. But soon she saw one of hisears sticking up through the hole, for the strong pressure of the airwas keeping him up so that he could not fall. She crept to the hole,caught Toto by the ear, and dragged him into the room again, afterwardclosing the trap door so that no more accidents could happen.
Hour after hour passed away, and slowly Dorothy got over her fright;but she felt quite lonely, and the wind shrieked so loudly all abouther that she nearly became deaf. At first she had wondered if shewould be dashed to pieces when the house fell again; but as the hourspassed and nothing terrible happened, she stopped worrying and resolvedto wait calmly and see what the future would bring. At last shecrawled over the swaying floor to her bed, and lay down upon it; andToto followed and lay down beside her.
In spite of the swaying of the house and the wailing of the wind,Dorothy soon closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.
2. The Council with the Munchkins
She was awakened by a shock, so sudden and severe that if Dorothy hadnot been lying on the soft bed she might have been hurt. As it was,the jar made her catch her breath and wonder what had happened; andToto put his cold little nose into her face and whined dismally.Dorothy sat up and noticed that the house was not moving; nor was itdark, for the bright sunshine came in at the window, flooding thelittle room. She sprang from her bed and with Toto at her heels ranand opened the door.
The little girl gave a cry of amazement and looked about her, her eyesgrowing bigger and bigger at the wonderful sights she saw.
The cyclone had set the house down very gently--for a cyclone--in themidst of a country of marvelous beauty. There were lovely patches ofgreensward all about, with stately trees bearing rich and lusciousfruits. Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds withrare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes.A little way off was a small brook, rushing and sparkling along betweengreen banks, and murmuring in a voice very grateful to a little girlwho had lived so long on the dry, gray prairies.
While she stood looking eagerly at the strange and beautiful sights,she noticed coming toward her a group of the queerest people she hadever seen. They were not as big as the grown folk she had always beenused to; but neither were they very small. In fact, they seemed aboutas tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, althoughthey were, so far as looks go, many years older.
Three were men and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed. They woreround hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, withlittle bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved. Thehats of the men were blue; the little woman's hat was white, and shewore a white gown that hung in pleats from her shoulders. Over it weresprinkled little stars that glistened in the sun like diamonds. Themen were dressed in blue, of the same shade as their hats, and worewell-polished boots with a deep roll of blue at the tops. The men,Dorothy thought, were about as old as Uncle Henry, for two of them hadbeards. But the little woman was doubtless much older. Her face wascovered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly white, and she walked ratherstiffly.
When these people drew near the house where Dorothy was standing in thedoorway, they paused and whispered among themselves, as if afraid tocome farther. But the little old woman walked up to Dorothy, made alow bow and said, in a sweet voice:
"You are welcome, most noble Sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins.We are so grateful to you for having killed the Wicked Witch of theEast, and for setting our people free from bondage."
Dorothy listened to this speech with wonder. What could the littlewoman possibly mean by calling her a sorceress, and saying she hadkilled the Wicked Witch of the East? Dorothy was an innocent, harmlesslittle girl, who had been carried by a cyclone many miles from home;and she had never killed anything in all her life.
But the little woman evidently expected her to answer; so Dorothy said,with hesitation, "You are very kind, but there must be some mistake. Ihave not killed anything."
"Your house did, anyway," replied the little old woman, with a laugh,"and that is the same thing. See!" she continued, pointing to thecorner of the house. "There are her two feet, still sticking out fromunder a block of wood."
Dorothy looked, and gave a little cry of fright. There, indeed, justunder the corner of the great beam the house rested on, two feet weresticking out, shod in silver shoes with pointed toes.
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" cried Dorothy, clasping her hands together indismay. "The house must have fallen on her. Whatever shall we do?"
"There is nothing to be done," said the little woman calmly.
"But who was she?" asked Dorothy.
"She was the Wicked Witch of the East, as I said," answered the littlewoman. "She has held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years,making them slave for her night and day. Now they are all set free,and are grateful to you for the favor."
"Who are the Munchkins?" inquired Dorothy.
"They are the people who live in this land of the East where the Wicked Witch ruled."
"Are you a Munchkin?" asked Dorothy.
"No, but I am their friend, although I live in the land of the North.When they saw the Witch of the East was dead the Munchkins sent a swiftmessenger to me, and I came at once. I am the Witch of the North."
"Oh, gracious!" cried Dorothy. "Are you a real witch?"
"Yes, indeed," answered the little woman. "But I am a good witch, andthe people love me. I am not as powerful as the Wicked Witch was whoruled here, or I should have set the people free myself."
"But I thought all witches were wicked," said the girl, who was halffrightened at facing a real witch. "Oh, no, that is a great mistake.There were only four witches in all the Land of Oz, and two of them,those who live in the North and the South, are good witches. I knowthis is true, for I am one of them myself, and cannot be mistaken.Those who dwelt in the East and the West were, indeed, wicked witches;but now that you have killed one of them, there is but one Wicked Witchin all the Land of Oz--the one who lives in the West."
"But," said Dorothy, after a moment's thought, "Aunt Em has told methat the witches were all dead--years and years ago."
"Who is Aunt Em?" inquired the little old woman.
"She is my aunt who lives in Kansas, where I came from."
The Witch of the North seemed to think for a time, with her head bowedand her eyes upon the ground. Then she looked up and said, "I do notknow where Kansas is, for I have never heard that country mentionedbefore. But tell me, is it a civilized country?"
"Oh, yes," replied Dorothy.
"Then that accounts for it. In the civilized countries I believe thereare no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But,you see, the Land of Oz has never been civilized, for we are cut offfrom all the rest of the world. Therefore we still have witches andwizards amongst us."
"Who are the wizards?" asked Dorothy.
"Oz himself is the Great Wizard," answered the Witch, sinking her voiceto a whisper. "He is more powerful than all the rest of us together.He lives in the City of Emeralds."
Dorothy was going to ask another question, but just then the Munchkins,who had been standing silently by, gave a loud shout and pointed to thecorner of the house where the Wicked Witch had been lying.
"What is it?" asked the little old woman, and looked, and began tolaugh. The feet of the dead Witch had disappeared entirely, andnothing was left but the silver shoes.
"She was so old," explained the Witch of the North, "that she dried upquickly in the sun. That is the end of her. But the silver shoes areyours, and you shall have them to wear." She reached down and picked upthe shoes, and after shaking the dust out of them handed them toDorothy.
"The Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes," said one ofthe Munchkins, "and there is some charm connected with them; but whatit is we never knew."
Dorothy carried the shoes into the house and placed them on the table.Then she came out again to the Munchkins and said:
"I am anxious to get back to my aunt and uncle, for I am sure they willworry about me. Can you help me find my way?"
The Munchkins and the Witch first looked at one another, and then atDorothy, and then shook their heads.
"At the East, not far from here," said one, "there is a great desert,and none could live to cross it."
"It is the same at the South," said another, "for I have been there andseen it. The South is the country of the Quadlings."
"I am told," said the third man, "that it is the same at the West. Andthat country, where the Winkies live, is ruled by the Wicked Witch ofthe West, who would make you her slave if you passed her way."
"The North is my home," said the old lady, "and at its edge is the samegreat desert that surrounds this Land of Oz. I'm afraid, my dear, youwill have to live with us."
Dorothy began to sob at this, for she felt lonely among all thesestrange people. Her tears seemed to grieve the kind-hearted Munchkins,for they immediately took out their handkerchiefs and began to weepalso. As for the little old woman, she took off her cap and balancedthe point on the end of her nose, while she counted "One, two, three"in a solemn voice. At once the cap changed to a slate, on which waswritten in big, white chalk marks:
"LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS"
The little old woman took the slate from her nose, and having read thewords on it, asked, "Is your name Dorothy, my dear?"
"Yes," answered the child, looking up and drying her tears.
"Then you must go to the City of Emeralds. Perhaps Oz will help you."
"Where is this city?" asked Dorothy.
"It is exactly in the center of the country, and is ruled by Oz, theGreat Wizard I told you of."
"Is he a good man?" inquired the girl anxiously.
"He is a good Wizard. Whether he is a man or not I cannot tell, for Ihave never seen him."
"How can I get there?" asked Dorothy.
"You must walk. It is a long journey, through a country that issometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible. However, I willuse all the magic arts I know of to keep you from harm."
"Won't you go with me?" pleaded the girl, who had begun to look uponthe little old woman as her only friend.
"No, I cannot do that," she replied, "but I will give you my kiss, andno one will dare injure a person who has been kissed by the Witch ofthe North."
She came close to Dorothy and kissed her gently on the forehead. Whereher lips touched the girl they left a round, shining mark, as Dorothyfound out soon after.
"The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick," said theWitch, "so you cannot miss it. When you get to Oz do not be afraid ofhim, but tell your story and ask him to help you. Good-bye, my dear."
The three Munchkins bowed low to her and wished her a pleasant journey,after which they walked away through the trees. The Witch gave Dorothya friendly little nod, whirled around on her left heel three times, andstraightway disappeared, much to the surprise of little Toto, whobarked after her loudly enough when she had gone, because he had beenafraid even to growl while she stood by.
But Dorothy, knowing her to be a witch, had expected her to disappearin just that way, and was not surprised in the least.
3. How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow
When Dorothy was left alone she began to feel hungry. So she went tothe cupboard and cut herself some bread, which she spread with butter.She gave some to Toto, and taking a pail from the shelf she carried itdown to the little brook and filled it with clear, sparkling water.Toto ran over to the trees and began to bark at the birds sittingthere. Dorothy went to get him, and saw such delicious fruit hangingfrom the branches that she gathered some of it, finding it just whatshe wanted to help out her breakfast.
Then she went back to the house, and having helped herself and Toto toa good drink of the cool, clear water, she set about making ready forthe journey to the City of Emeralds.
Dorothy had only one other dress, but that happened to be clean and washanging on a peg beside her bed. It was gingham, with checks of whiteand blue; and although the blue was somewhat faded with many washings,it was still a pretty frock. The girl washed herself carefully,dressed herself in the clean gingham, and tied her pink sunbonnet onher head. She took a little basket and filled it with bread from thecupboard, laying a white cloth over the top. Then she looked down ather feet and noticed how old and worn her shoes were.
"They surely will never do for a long journey, Toto," she said. AndToto looked up into her face with his little black eyes and wagged histail to show he knew what she meant.
At that moment Dorothy saw lying on the table the silver shoes that hadbelonged to the Witch of the East.
"I wonder if they will fit me," she said to Toto. "They would be justthe thing to take a long walk in, for they could not wear out."
She took off her old leather shoes and tried on the silver ones, whichfitted her as well as if they had been made for her.
Finally she picked up her basket.
"Come along, Toto," she said. "We will go to the Emerald City and askthe Great Oz how to get back to Kansas again."
She closed the door, locked it, and put the key carefully in the pocketof her dress. And so, with Toto trotting along soberly behind her, shestarted on her journey.
There were several roads near by, but it did not take her long to findthe one paved with yellow bricks. Within a short time she was walkingbriskly toward the Emerald City, her silver shoes tinkling merrily onthe hard, yellow road-bed. The sun shone bright and the birds sangsweetly, and Dorothy did not feel nearly so bad as you might think alittle girl would who had been suddenly whisked away from her owncountry and set down in the midst of a strange land.
She was surprised, as she walked along, to see how pretty the countrywas about her. There were neat fences at the sides of the road,painted a dainty blue color, and beyond them were fields of grain andvegetables in abundance. Evidently the Munchkins were good farmers andable to raise large crops. Once in a while she would pass a house, andthe people came out to look at her and bow low as she went by; foreveryone knew she had been the means of destroying the Wicked Witch andsetting them free from bondage. The houses of the Munchkins wereodd-looking dwellings, for each was round, with a big dome for a roof.All were painted blue, for in this country of the East blue was thefavorite color.
Toward evening, when Dorothy was tired with her long walk and began towonder where she should pass the night, she came to a house ratherlarger than the rest. On the green lawn before it many men and womenwere dancing. Five little fiddlers played as loudly as possible, andthe people were laughing and singing, while a big table near by wasloaded with delicious fruits and nuts, pies and cakes, and many othergood things to eat.
The people greeted Dorothy kindly, and invited her to supper and topass the night with them; for this was the home of one of the richestMunchkins in the land, and his friends were gathered with him tocelebrate their freedom from the bondage of the Wicked Witch.
Dorothy ate a hearty supper and was waited upon by the rich Munchkinhimself, whose name was Boq. Then she sat upon a settee and watchedthe people dance.
When Boq saw her silver shoes he said, "You must be a great sorceress."
"Why?" asked the girl.
"Because you wear silver shoes and have killed the Wicked Witch.Besides, you have white in your frock, and only witches and sorceresseswear white."
"My dress is blue and white checked," said Dorothy, smoothing out thewrinkles in it.
"It is kind of you to wear that," said Boq. "Blue is the color of theMunchkins, and white is the witch color. So we know you are a friendlywitch."
Dorothy did not know what to say to this, for all the people seemed tothink her a witch, and she knew very well she was only an ordinarylittle girl who had come by the chance of a cyclone into a strange land.
When she had tired watching the dancing, Boq led her into the house,where he gave her a room with a pretty bed in it. The sheets were madeof blue cloth, and Dorothy slept soundly in them till morning, withToto curled up on the blue rug beside her.
She ate a hearty breakfast, and watched a wee Munchkin baby, who playedwith Toto and pulled his tail and crowed and laughed in a way thatgreatly amused Dorothy. Toto was a fine curiosity to all the people,for they had never seen a dog before.
"How far is it to the Emerald City?" the girl asked.
"I do not know," answered Boq gravely, "for I have never been there.It is better for people to keep away from Oz, unless they have businesswith him. But it is a long way to the Emerald City, and it will takeyou many days. The country here is rich and pleasant, but you mustpass through rough and dangerous places before you reach the end ofyour journey."
This worried Dorothy a little, but she knew that only the Great Ozcould help her get to Kansas again, so she bravely resolved not to turnback.
She bade her friends good-bye, and again started along the road ofyellow brick. When she had gone several miles she thought she wouldstop to rest, and so climbed to the top of the fence beside the roadand sat down. There was a great cornfield beyond the fence, and notfar away she saw a Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birdsfrom the ripe corn.
Dorothy leaned her chin upon her hand and gazed thoughtfully at theScarecrow. Its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes,nose, and mouth painted on it to represent a face. An old, pointedblue hat, that had belonged to some Munchkin, was perched on his head,and the rest of the figure was a blue suit of clothes, worn and faded,which had also been stuffed with straw. On the feet were some oldboots with blue tops, such as every man wore in this country, and thefigure was raised above the stalks of corn by means of the pole stuckup its back.
While Dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer, painted face of theScarecrow, she was surprised to see one of the eyes slowly wink at her.She thought she must have been mistaken at first, for none of thescarecrows in Kansas ever wink; but presently the figure nodded itshead to her in a friendly way. Then she climbed down from the fenceand walked up to it, while Toto ran around the pole and barked.
"Good day," said the Scarecrow, in a rather husky voice.
"Did you speak?" asked the girl, in wonder.
"Certainly," answered the Scarecrow. "How do you do?"
"I'm pretty well, thank you," replied Dorothy politely. "How do youdo?"
"I'm not feeling well," said the Scarecrow, with a smile, "for it isvery tedious being perched up here night and day to scare away crows."
"Can't you get down?" asked Dorothy.
"No, for this pole is stuck up my back. If you will please take awaythe pole I shall be greatly obliged to you."
Dorothy reached up both arms and lifted the figure off the pole, for,being stuffed with straw, it was quite light.
"Thank you very much," said the Scarecrow, when he had been set down onthe ground. "I feel like a new man."
Dorothy was puzzled at this, for it sounded queer to hear a stuffed manspeak, and to see him bow and walk along beside her.
"Who are you?" asked the Scarecrow when he had stretched himself andyawned. "And where are you going?"
"My name is Dorothy," said the girl, "and I am going to the EmeraldCity, to ask the Great Oz to send me back to Kansas."
"Where is the Emerald City?" he inquired. "And who is Oz?"
"Why, don't you know?" she returned, in surprise.
"No, indeed. I don't know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I haveno brains at all," he answered sadly.
"Oh," said Dorothy, "I'm awfully sorry for you."
"Do you think," he asked, "if I go to the Emerald City with you, thatOz would give me some brains?"
"I cannot tell," she returned, "but you may come with me, if you like.If Oz will not give you any brains you will be no worse off than youare now."
"That is true," said the Scarecrow. "You see," he continuedconfidentially, "I don't mind my legs and arms and body being stuffed,because I cannot get hurt. If anyone treads on my toes or sticks a pininto me, it doesn't matter, for I can't feel it. But I do not wantpeople to call me a fool, and if my head stays stuffed with strawinstead of with brains, as yours is, how am I ever to know anything?"
"I understand how you feel," said the little girl, who was truly sorryfor him. "If you will come with me I'll ask Oz to do all he can foryou."
"Thank you," he answered gratefully.
They walked back to the road. Dorothy helped him over the fence, andthey started along the path of yellow brick for the Emerald City.
Toto did not like this addition to the party at first. He smelledaround the stuffed man as if he suspected there might be a nest of ratsin the straw, and he often growled in an unfriendly way at theScarecrow.
"Don't mind Toto," said Dorothy to her new friend. "He never bites."
"Oh, I'm not afraid," replied the Scarecrow. "He can't hurt the straw.Do let me carry that basket for you. I shall not mind it, for I can'tget tired. I'll tell you a secret," he continued, as he walked along."There is only one thing in the world I am afraid of."
"What is that?" asked Dorothy; "the Munchkin farmer who made you?"
"No," answered the Scarecrow; "it's a lighted match."
4. The Road Through the Forest
After a few hours the road began to be rough, and the walking grew sodifficult that the Scarecrow often stumbled over the yellow bricks,which were here very uneven. Sometimes, indeed, they were broken ormissing altogether, leaving holes that Toto jumped across and Dorothywalked around. As for the Scarecrow, having no brains, he walkedstraight ahead, and so stepped into the holes and fell at full lengthon the hard bricks. It never hurt him, however, and Dorothy would pickhim up and set him upon his feet again, while he joined her in laughingmerrily at his own mishap.
The farms were not nearly so well cared for here as they were fartherback. There were fewer houses and fewer fruit trees, and the fartherthey went the more dismal and lonesome the country became.
At noon they sat down by the roadside, near a little brook, and Dorothyopened her basket and got out some bread. She offered a piece to theScarecrow, but he refused.
"I am never hungry," he said, "and it is a lucky thing I am not, for mymouth is only painted, and if I should cut a hole in it so I could eat,the straw I am stuffed with would come out, and that would spoil theshape of my head."
Dorothy saw at once that this was true, so she only nodded and went oneating her bread.
"Tell me something about yourself and the country you came from," saidthe Scarecrow, when she had finished her dinner. So she told him allabout Kansas, and how gray everything was there, and how the cyclonehad carried her to this queer Land of Oz.
The Scarecrow listened carefully, and said, "I cannot understand whyyou should wish to leave this beautiful country and go back to the dry,gray place you call Kansas."
"That is because you have no brains" answered the girl. "No matter howdreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood wouldrather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful.There is no place like home."
The Scarecrow sighed.
"Of course I cannot understand it," he said. "If your heads werestuffed with straw, like mine, you would probably all live in thebeautiful places, and then Kansas would have no people at all. It isfortunate for Kansas that you have brains."
"Won't you tell me a story, while we are resting?" asked the child.
The Scarecrow looked at her reproachfully, and answered:
"My life has been so short that I really know nothing whatever. I wasonly made day before yesterday. What happened in the world before thattime is all unknown to me. Luckily, when the farmer made my head, oneof the first things he did was to paint my ears, so that I heard whatwas going on. There was another Munchkin with him, and the first thingI heard was the farmer saying, `How do you like those ears?'
"`They aren't straight,'" answered the other.
"`Never mind,'" said the farmer. "`They are ears just the same,'"which was true enough.
"`Now I'll make the eyes,'" said the farmer. So he painted my righteye, and as soon as it was finished I found myself looking at him andat everything around me with a great deal of curiosity, for this was myfirst glimpse of the world.
"`That's a rather pretty eye,'" remarked the Munchkin who was watchingthe farmer. "`Blue paint is just the color for eyes.'
"`I think I'll make the other a little bigger,'" said the farmer. Andwhen the second eye was done I could see much better than before. Thenhe made my nose and my mouth. But I did not speak, because at thattime I didn't know what a mouth was for. I had the fun of watchingthem make my body and my arms and legs; and when they fastened on myhead, at last, I felt very proud, for I thought I was just as good aman as anyone.
"`This fellow will scare the crows fast enough,' said the farmer. `Helooks just like a man.'
"`Why, he is a man,' said the other, and I quite agreed with him. Thefarmer carried me under his arm to the cornfield, and set me up on atall stick, where you found me. He and his friend soon after walkedaway and left me alone.
"I did not like to be deserted this way. So I tried to walk afterthem. But my feet would not touch the ground, and I was forced to stayon that pole. It was a lonely life to lead, for I had nothing to thinkof, having been made such a little while before. Many crows and otherbirds flew into the cornfield, but as soon as they saw me they flewaway again, thinking I was a Munchkin; and this pleased me and made mefeel that I was quite an important person. By and by an old crow flewnear me, and after looking at me carefully he perched upon my shoulderand said:
"`I wonder if that farmer thought to fool me in this clumsy manner.Any crow of sense could see that you are only stuffed with straw.'Then he hopped down at my feet and ate all the corn he wanted. Theother birds, seeing he was not harmed by me, came to eat the corn too,so in a short time there was a great flock of them about me.
"I felt sad at this, for it showed I was not such a good Scarecrowafter all; but the old crow comforted me, saying, `If you only hadbrains in your head you would be as good a man as any of them, and abetter man than some of them. Brains are the only things worth havingin this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.'
"After the crows had gone I thought this over, and decided I would tryhard to get some brains. By good luck you came along and pulled me offthe stake, and from what you say I am sure the Great Oz will give mebrains as soon as we get to the Emerald City."
"I hope so," said Dorothy earnestly, "since you seem anxious to havethem."
"Oh, yes; I am anxious," returned the Scarecrow. "It is such anuncomfortable feeling to know one is a fool."
"Well," said the girl, "let us go." And she handed the basket to theScarecrow.
There were no fences at all by the roadside now, and the land was roughand untilled. Toward evening they came to a great forest, where thetrees grew so big and close together that their branches met over theroad of yellow brick. It was almost dark under the trees, for thebranches shut out the daylight; but the travelers did not stop, andwent on into the forest.
"If this road goes in, it must come out," said the Scarecrow, "and asthe Emerald City is at the other end of the road, we must go whereverit leads us."
"Anyone would know that," said Dorothy.
"Certainly; that is why I know it," returned the Scarecrow. "If itrequired brains to figure it out, I never should have said it."
After an hour or so the light faded away, and they found themselvesstumbling along in the darkness. Dorothy could not see at all, butToto could, for some dogs see very well in the dark; and the Scarecrowdeclared he could see as well as by day. So she took hold of his armand managed to get along fairly well.
"If you see any house, or any place where we can pass the night," shesaid, "you must tell me; for it is very uncomfortable walking in thedark."
Soon after the Scarecrow stopped.
"I see a little cottage at the right of us," he said, "built of logsand branches. Shall we go there?"
"Yes, indeed," answered the child. "I am all tired out."
So the Scarecrow led her through the trees until they reached thecottage, and Dorothy entered and found a bed of dried leaves in onecorner. She lay down at once, and with Toto beside her soon fell intoa sound sleep. The Scarecrow, who was never tired, stood up in anothercorner and waited patiently until morning came.
5. The Rescue of the Tin Woodman
When Dorothy awoke the sun was shining through the trees and Toto hadlong been out chasing birds around him and squirrels. She sat up andlooked around her. Scarecrow, still standing patiently in his corner,waiting for her.
"We must go and search for water," she said to him.
"Why do you want water?" he asked.
"To wash my face clean after the dust of the road, and to drink, so thedry bread will not stick in my throat."
"It must be inconvenient to be made of flesh," said the Scarecrowthoughtfully, "for you must sleep, and eat and drink. However, youhave brains, and it is worth a lot of bother to be able to thinkproperly."
They left the cottage and walked through the trees until they found alittle spring of clear water, where Dorothy drank and bathed and ateher breakfast. She saw there was not much bread left in the basket,and the girl was thankful the Scarecrow did not have to eat anything,for there was scarcely enough for herself and Toto for the day.
When she had finished her meal, and was about to go back to the road ofyellow brick, she was startled to hear a deep groan near by.
"What was that?" she asked timidly.
"I cannot imagine," replied the Scarecrow; "but we can go and see."
Just then another groan reached their ears, and the sound seemed tocome from behind them. They turned and walked through the forest a fewsteps, when Dorothy discovered something shining in a ray of sunshinethat fell between the trees. She ran to the place and then stoppedshort, with a little cry of surprise.
One of the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standingbeside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirelyof tin. His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but hestood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all.
Dorothy looked at him in amazement, and so did the Scarecrow, whileToto barked sharply and made a snap at the tin legs, which hurt histeeth.
"Did you groan?" asked Dorothy.
"Yes," answered the tin man, "I did. I've been groaning for more thana year, and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me."
"What can I do for you?" she inquired softly, for she was moved by thesad voice in which the man spoke.
"Get an oil-can and oil my joints," he answered. "They are rusted sobadly that I cannot move them at all; if I am well oiled I shall soonbe all right again. You will find an oil-can on a shelf in my cottage."
Dorothy at once ran back to the cottage and found the oil-can, and thenshe returned and asked anxiously, "Where are your joints?"
"Oil my neck, first," replied the Tin Woodman. So she oiled it, and asit was quite badly rusted the Scarecrow took hold of the tin head andmoved it gently from side to side until it worked freely, and then theman could turn it himself.
"Now oil the joints in my arms," he said. And Dorothy oiled them andthe Scarecrow bent them carefully until they were quite free from rustand as good as new.
The Tin Woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, whichhe leaned against the tree.
"This is a great comfort," he said. "I have been holding that axe inthe air ever since I rusted, and I'm glad to be able to put it down atlast. Now, if you will oil the joints of my legs, I shall be all rightonce more."
So they oiled his legs until he could move them freely; and he thankedthem again and again for his release, for he seemed a very politecreature, and very grateful.
"I might have stood there always if you had not come along," he said;"so you have certainly saved my life. How did you happen to be here?"
"We are on our way to the Emerald City to see the Great Oz," sheanswered, "and we stopped at your cottage to pass the night."
"Why do you wish to see Oz?" he asked.
"I want him to send me back to Kansas, and the Scarecrow wants him toput a few brains into his head," she replied.
The Tin Woodman appeared to think deeply for a moment. Then he said:
"Do you suppose Oz could give me a heart?"
"Why, I guess so," Dorothy answered. "It would be as easy as to givethe Scarecrow brains."
"True," the Tin Woodman returned. "So, if you will allow me to joinyour party, I will also go to the Emerald City and ask Oz to help me."
"Come along," said the Scarecrow heartily, and Dorothy added that shewould be pleased to have his company. So the Tin Woodman shoulderedhis axe and they all passed through the forest until they came to theroad that was paved with yellow brick.
The Tin Woodman had asked Dorothy to put the oil-can in her basket."For," he said, "if I should get caught in the rain, and rust again, Iwould need the oil-can badly."
It was a bit of good luck to have their new comrade join the party, forsoon after they had begun their journey again they came to a placewhere the trees and branches grew so thick over the road that thetravelers could not pass. But the Tin Woodman set to work with his axeand chopped so well that soon he cleared a passage for the entire party.
Dorothy was thinking so earnestly as they walked along that she did notnotice when the Scarecrow stumbled into a hole and rolled over to theside of the road. Indeed he was obliged to call to her to help him upagain.
"Why didn't you walk around the hole?" asked the Tin Woodman.
"I don't know enough," replied the Scarecrow cheerfully. "My head isstuffed with straw, you know, and that is why I am going to Oz to askhim for some brains."
"Oh, I see," said the Tin Woodman. "But, after all, brains are not thebest things in the world."
"Have you any?" inquired the Scarecrow.
"No, my head is quite empty," answered the Woodman. "But once I hadbrains, and a heart also; so, having tried them both, I should muchrather have a heart."
"And why is that?" asked the Scarecrow.
"I will tell you my story, and then you will know."
So, while they were walking through the forest, the Tin Woodman toldthe following story:
"I was born the son of a woodman who chopped down trees in the forestand sold the wood for a living. When I grew up, I too became awoodchopper, and after my father died I took care of my old mother aslong as she lived. Then I made up my mind that instead of living aloneI would marry, so that I might not become lonely.
"There was one of the Munchkin girls who was so beautiful that I soongrew to love her with all my heart. She, on her part, promised tomarry me as soon as I could earn enough money to build a better housefor her; so I set to work harder than ever. But the girl lived with anold woman who did not want her to marry anyone, for she was so lazy shewished the girl to remain with her and do the cooking and thehousework. So the old woman went to the Wicked Witch of the East, andpromised her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage.Thereupon the Wicked Witch enchanted my axe, and when I was choppingaway at my best one day, for I was anxious to get the new house and mywife as soon as possible, the axe slipped all at once and cut off myleft leg.
"This at first seemed a great misfortune, for I knew a one-legged mancould not do very well as a wood-chopper. So I went to a tinsmith andhad him make me a new leg out of tin. The leg worked very well, once Iwas used to it. But my action angered the Wicked Witch of the East,for she had promised the old woman I should not marry the prettyMunchkin girl. When I began chopping again, my axe slipped and cut offmy right leg. Again I went to the tinsmith, and again he made me a legout of tin. After this the enchanted axe cut off my arms, one afterthe other; but, nothing daunted, I had them replaced with tin ones.The Wicked Witch then made the axe slip and cut off my head, and atfirst I thought that was the end of me. But the tinsmith happened tocome along, and he made me a new head out of tin.
"I thought I had beaten the Wicked Witch then, and I worked harder thanever; but I little knew how cruel my enemy could be. She thought of anew way to kill my love for the beautiful Munchkin maiden, and made myaxe slip again, so that it cut right through my body, splitting me intotwo halves. Once more the tinsmith came to my help and made me a bodyof tin, fastening my tin arms and legs and head to it, by means ofjoints, so that I could move around as well as ever. But, alas! I hadnow no heart, so that I lost all my love for the Munchkin girl, and didnot care whether I married her or not. I suppose she is still livingwith the old woman, waiting for me to come after her.
"My body shone so brightly in the sun that I felt very proud of it andit did not matter now if my axe slipped, for it could not cut me.There was only one danger--that my joints would rust; but I kept anoil-can in my cottage and took care to oil myself whenever I needed it.However, there came a day when I forgot to do this, and, being caughtin a rainstorm, before I thought of the danger my joints had rusted,and I was left to stand in the woods until you came to help me. It wasa terrible thing to undergo, but during the year I stood there I hadtime to think that the greatest loss I had known was the loss of myheart. While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth; but no onecan love who has not a heart, and so I am resolved to ask Oz to give meone. If he does, I will go back to the Munchkin maiden and marry her."
Both Dorothy and the Scarecrow had been greatly interested in the storyof the Tin Woodman, and now they knew why he was so anxious to get anew heart.
"All the same," said the Scarecrow, "I shall ask for brains instead ofa heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he hadone."
"I shall take the heart," returned the Tin Woodman; "for brains do notmake one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world."
Dorothy did not say anything, for she was puzzled to know which of hertwo friends was right, and she decided if she could only get back toKansas and Aunt Em, it did not matter so much whether the Woodman hadno brains and the Scarecrow no heart, or each got what he wanted.
What worried her most was that the bread was nearly gone, and anothermeal for herself and Toto would empty the basket. To be sure neitherthe Woodman nor the Scarecrow ever ate anything, but she was not madeof tin nor straw, and could not live unless she was fed.
6. The Cowardly Lion
All this time Dorothy and her companions had been walking through thethick woods. The road was still paved with yellow brick, but thesewere much covered by dried branches and dead leaves from the trees, andthe walking was not at all good.
There were few birds in this part of the forest, for birds love theopen country where there is plenty of sunshine. But now and then therecame a deep growl from some wild animal hidden among the trees. Thesesounds made the little girl's heart beat fast, for she did not knowwhat made them; but Toto knew, and he walked close to Dorothy's side,and did not even bark in return.
"How long will it be," the child asked of the Tin Woodman, "before weare out of the forest?"
"I cannot tell," was the answer, "for I have never been to the EmeraldCity. But my father went there once, when I was a boy, and he said itwas a long journey through a dangerous country, although nearer to thecity where Oz dwells the country is beautiful. But I am not afraid solong as I have my oil-can, and nothing can hurt the Scarecrow, whileyou bear upon your forehead the mark of the Good Witch's kiss, and thatwill protect you from harm."
"But Toto!" said the girl anxiously. "What will protect him?"
"We must protect him ourselves if he is in danger," replied the TinWoodman.
Just as he spoke there came from the forest a terrible roar, and thenext moment a great Lion bounded into the road. With one blow of hispaw he sent the Scarecrow spinning over and over to the edge of theroad, and then he struck at the Tin Woodman with his sharp claws. But,to the Lion's surprise, he could make no impression on the tin,although the Woodman fell over in the road and lay still.
Little Toto, now that he had an enemy to face, ran barking toward theLion, and the great beast had opened his mouth to bite the dog, whenDorothy, fearing Toto would be killed, and heedless of danger, rushedforward and slapped the Lion upon his nose as hard as she could, whileshe cried out:
"Don't you dare to bite Toto! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, abig beast like you, to bite a poor little dog!"
"I didn't bite him," said the Lion, as he rubbed his nose with his pawwhere Dorothy had hit it.
"No, but you tried to," she retorted. "You are nothing but a bigcoward."
"I know it," said the Lion, hanging his head in shame. "I've alwaysknown it. But how can I help it?"
"I don't know, I'm sure. To think of your striking a stuffed man, likethe poor Scarecrow!"
"Is he stuffed?" asked the Lion in surprise, as he watched her pick upthe Scarecrow and set him upon his feet, while she patted him intoshape again.
"Of course he's stuffed," replied Dorothy, who was still angry.
"That's why he went over so easily," remarked the Lion. "It astonishedme to see him whirl around so. Is the other one stuffed also?"
"No," said Dorothy, "he's made of tin." And she helped the Woodman upagain.
"That's why he nearly blunted my claws," said the Lion. "When theyscratched against the tin it made a cold shiver run down my back. Whatis that little animal you are so tender of?"
"He is my dog, Toto," answered Dorothy.
"Is he made of tin, or stuffed?" asked the Lion.
"Neither. He's a--a--a meat dog," said the girl.
"Oh! He's a curious animal and seems remarkably small, now that I lookat him. No one would think of biting such a little thing, except acoward like me," continued the Lion sadly.
"What makes you a coward?" asked Dorothy, looking at the great beast inwonder, for he was as big as a small horse.
"It's a mystery," replied the Lion. "I suppose I was born that way.All the other animals in the forest naturally expect me to be brave,for the Lion is everywhere thought to be the King of Beasts. I learnedthat if I roared very loudly every living thing was frightened and gotout of my way. Whenever I've met a man I've been awfully scared; but Ijust roared at him, and he has always run away as fast as he could go.If the elephants and the tigers and the bears had ever tried to fightme, I should have run myself--I'm such a coward; but just as soon asthey hear me roar they all try to get away from me, and of course I letthem go."
"But that isn't right. The King of Beasts shouldn't be a coward," saidthe Scarecrow.
"I know it," returned the Lion, wiping a tear from his eye with the tipof his tail. "It is my great sorrow, and makes my life very unhappy.But whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast."
"Perhaps you have heart disease," said the Tin Woodman.
"It may be," said the Lion.
"If you have," continued the Tin Woodman, "you ought to be glad, for itproves you have a heart. For my part, I have no heart; so I cannothave heart disease."
"Perhaps," said the Lion thoughtfully, "if I had no heart I should notbe a coward."
"Have you brains?" asked the Scarecrow.
"I suppose so. I've never looked to see," replied the Lion.
"I am going to the Great Oz to ask him to give me some," remarked theScarecrow, "for my head is stuffed with straw."
"And I am going to ask him to give me a heart," said the Woodman.
"And I am going to ask him to send Toto and me back to Kansas," addedDorothy.
"Do you think Oz could give me courage?" asked the Cowardly Lion.
"Just as easily as he could give me brains," said the Scarecrow.
"Or give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"Or send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy.
"Then, if you don't mind, I'll go with you," said the Lion, "for mylife is simply unbearable without a bit of courage."
"You will be very welcome," answered Dorothy, "for you will help tokeep away the other wild beasts. It seems to me they must be morecowardly than you are if they allow you to scare them so easily."
"They really are," said the Lion, "but that doesn't make me any braver,and as long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy."
So once more the little company set off upon the journey, the Lionwalking with stately strides at Dorothy's side. Toto did not approvethis new comrade at first, for he could not forget how nearly he hadbeen crushed between the Lion's great jaws. But after a time he becamemore at ease, and presently Toto and the Cowardly Lion had grown to begood friends.
During the rest of that day there was no other adventure to mar thepeace of their journey. Once, indeed, the Tin Woodman stepped upon abeetle that was crawling along the road, and killed the poor littlething. This made the Tin Woodman very unhappy, for he was alwayscareful not to hurt any living creature; and as he walked along he weptseveral tears of sorrow and regret. These tears ran slowly down hisface and over the hinges of his jaw, and there they rusted. WhenDorothy presently asked him a question the Tin Woodman could not openhis mouth, for his jaws were tightly rusted together. He becamegreatly frightened at this and made many motions to Dorothy to relievehim, but she could not understand. The Lion was also puzzled to knowwhat was wrong. But the Scarecrow seized the oil-can from Dorothy'sbasket and oiled the Woodman's jaws, so that after a few moments hecould talk as well as before.
"This will serve me a lesson," said he, "to look where I step. For ifI should kill another bug or beetle I should surely cry again, andcrying rusts my jaws so that I cannot speak."
Thereafter he walked very carefully, with his eyes on the road, andwhen he saw a tiny ant toiling by he would step over it, so as not toharm it. The Tin Woodman knew very well he had no heart, and thereforehe took great care never to be cruel or unkind to anything.
"You people with hearts," he said, "have something to guide you, andneed never do wrong; but I have no heart, and so I must be verycareful. When Oz gives me a heart of course I needn't mind so much."
7. The Journey to the Great Oz
They were obliged to camp out that night under a large tree in theforest, for there were no houses near. The tree made a good, thickcovering to protect them from the dew, and the Tin Woodman chopped agreat pile of wood with his axe and Dorothy built a splendid fire thatwarmed her and made her feel less lonely. She and Toto ate the last oftheir bread, and now she did not know what they would do for breakfast.
"If you wish," said the Lion, "I will go into the forest and kill adeer for you. You can roast it by the fire, since your tastes are sopeculiar that you prefer cooked food, and then you will have a verygood breakfast."
"Don't! Please don't," begged the Tin Woodman. "I should certainlyweep if you killed a poor deer, and then my jaws would rust again."
But the Lion went away into the forest and found his own supper, and noone ever knew what it was, for he didn't mention it. And the Scarecrowfound a tree full of nuts and filled Dorothy's basket with them, sothat she would not be hungry for a long time. She thought this wasvery kind and thoughtful of the Scarecrow, but she laughed heartily atthe awkward way in which the poor creature picked up the nuts. Hispadded hands were so clumsy and the nuts were so small that he droppedalmost as many as he put in the basket. But the Scarecrow did not mindhow long it took him to fill the basket, for it enabled him to keepaway from the fire, as he feared a spark might get into his straw andburn him up. So he kept a good distance away from the flames, and onlycame near to cover Dorothy with dry leaves when she lay down to sleep.These kept her very snug and warm, and she slept soundly until morning.
When it was daylight, the girl bathed her face in a little ripplingbrook, and soon after they all started toward the Emerald City.
This was to be an eventful day for the travelers. They had hardly beenwalking an hour when they saw before them a great ditch that crossedthe road and divided the forest as far as they could see on eitherside. It was a very wide ditch, and when they crept up to the edge andlooked into it they could see it was also very deep, and there weremany big, jagged rocks at the bottom. The sides were so steep thatnone of them could climb down, and for a moment it seemed that theirjourney must end.
"What shall we do?" asked Dorothy despairingly.
"I haven't the faintest idea," said the Tin Woodman, and the Lion shookhis shaggy mane and looked thoughtful.
But the Scarecrow said, "We cannot fly, that is certain. Neither canwe climb down into this great ditch. Therefore, if we cannot jump overit, we must stop where we are."
"I think I could jump over it," said the Cowardly Lion, after measuringthe distance carefully in his mind.
"Then we are all right," answered the Scarecrow, "for you can carry usall over on your back, one at a time."
"Well, I'll try it," said the Lion. "Who will go first?"
"I will," declared the Scarecrow, "for, if you found that you could notjump over the gulf, Dorothy would be killed, or the Tin Woodman badlydented on the rocks below. But if I am on your back it will not matterso much, for the fall would not hurt me at all."
"I am terribly afraid of falling, myself," said the Cowardly Lion, "butI suppose there is nothing to do but try it. So get on my back and wewill make the attempt."
The Scarecrow sat upon the Lion's back, and the big beast walked to theedge of the gulf and crouched down.
"Why don't you run and jump?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Because that isn't the way we Lions do these things," he replied.Then giving a great spring, he shot through the air and landed safelyon the other side. They were all greatly pleased to see how easily hedid it, and after the Scarecrow had got down from his back the Lionsprang across the ditch again.
Dorothy thought she would go next; so she took Toto in her arms andclimbed on the Lion's back, holding tightly to his mane with one hand.The next moment it seemed as if she were flying through the air; andthen, before she had time to think about it, she was safe on the otherside. The Lion went back a third time and got the Tin Woodman, andthen they all sat down for a few moments to give the beast a chance torest, for his great leaps had made his breath short, and he panted likea big dog that has been running too long.
They found the forest very thick on this side, and it looked dark andgloomy. After the Lion had rested they started along the road ofyellow brick, silently wondering, each in his own mind, if ever theywould come to the end of the woods and reach the bright sunshine again.To add to their discomfort, they soon heard strange noises in thedepths of the forest, and the Lion whispered to them that it was inthis part of the country that the Kalidahs lived.
"What are the Kalidahs?" asked the girl.
"They are monstrous beasts with bodies like bears and heads liketigers," replied the Lion, "and with claws so long and sharp that theycould tear me in two as easily as I could kill Toto. I'm terriblyafraid of the Kalidahs."
"I'm not surprised that you are," returned Dorothy. "They must bedreadful beasts."
The Lion was about to reply when suddenly they came to another gulfacross the road. But this one was so broad and deep that the Lion knewat once he could not leap across it.
So they sat down to consider what they should do, and after seriousthought the Scarecrow said:
"Here is a great tree, standing close to the ditch. If the Tin Woodmancan chop it down, so that it will fall to the other side, we can walkacross it easily."
"That is a first-rate idea," said the Lion. "One would almost suspectyou had brains in your head, instead of straw."
The Woodman set to work at once, and so sharp was his axe that the treewas soon chopped nearly through. Then the Lion put his strong frontlegs against the tree and pushed with all his might, and slowly the bigtree tipped and fell with a crash across the ditch, with its topbranches on the other side.
They had just started to cross this queer bridge when a sharp growlmade them all look up, and to their horror they saw running toward themtwo great beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers.
"They are the Kalidahs!" said the Cowardly Lion, beginning to tremble.
"Quick!" cried the Scarecrow. "Let us cross over."
So Dorothy went first, holding Toto in her arms, the Tin Woodmanfollowed, and the Scarecrow came next. The Lion, although he wascertainly afraid, turned to face the Kalidahs, and then he gave so loudand terrible a roar that Dorothy screamed and the Scarecrow fell overbackward, while even the fierce beasts stopped short and looked at himin surprise.
But, seeing they were bigger than the Lion, and remembering that therewere two of them and only one of him, the Kalidahs again rushedforward, and the Lion crossed over the tree and turned to see what theywould do next. Without stopping an instant the fierce beasts alsobegan to cross the tree. And the Lion said to Dorothy:
"We are lost, for they will surely tear us to pieces with their sharpclaws. But stand close behind me, and I will fight them as long as Iam alive."
"Wait a minute!" called the Scarecrow. He had been thinking what wasbest to be done, and now he asked the Woodman to chop away the end ofthe tree that rested on their side of the ditch. The Tin Woodman beganto use his axe at once, and, just as the two Kalidahs were nearlyacross, the tree fell with a crash into the gulf, carrying the ugly,snarling brutes with it, and both were dashed to pieces on the sharprocks at the bottom.
"Well," said the Cowardly Lion, drawing a long breath of relief, "I seewe are going to live a little while longer, and I am glad of it, for itmust be a very uncomfortable thing not to be alive. Those creaturesfrightened me so badly that my heart is beating yet."
"Ah," said the Tin Woodman sadly, "I wish I had a heart to beat."
This adventure made the travelers more anxious than ever to get out ofthe forest, and they walked so fast that Dorothy became tired, and hadto ride on the Lion's back. To their great joy the trees becamethinner the farther they advanced, and in the afternoon they suddenlycame upon a broad river, flowing swiftly just before them. On theother side of the water they could see the road of yellow brick runningthrough a beautiful country, with green meadows dotted with brightflowers and all the road bordered with trees hanging full of deliciousfruits. They were greatly pleased to see this delightful countrybefore them.
"How shall we cross the river?" asked Dorothy.
"That is easily done," replied the Scarecrow. "The Tin Woodman mustbuild us a raft, so we can float to the other side."
So the Woodman took his axe and began to chop down small trees to makea raft, and while he was busy at this the Scarecrow found on theriverbank a tree full of fine fruit. This pleased Dorothy, who hadeaten nothing but nuts all day, and she made a hearty meal of the ripefruit.
But it takes time to make a raft, even when one is as industrious anduntiring as the Tin Woodman, and when night came the work was not done.So they found a cozy place under the trees where they slept well untilthe morning; and Dorothy dreamed of the Emerald City, and of the goodWizard Oz, who would soon send her back to her own home again.
8. The Deadly Poppy Field
Our little party of travelers awakened the next morning refreshed andfull of hope, and Dorothy breakfasted like a princess off peaches andplums from the trees beside the river. Behind them was the dark forestthey had passed safely through, although they had suffered manydiscouragements; but before them was a lovely, sunny country thatseemed to beckon them on to the Emerald City.
To be sure, the broad river now cut them off from this beautiful land.But the raft was nearly done, and after the Tin Woodman had cut a fewmore logs and fastened them together with wooden pins, they were readyto start. Dorothy sat down in the middle of the raft and held Toto inher arms. When the Cowardly Lion stepped upon the raft it tippedbadly, for he was big and heavy; but the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodmanstood upon the other end to steady it, and they had long poles in theirhands to push the raft through the water.
They got along quite well at first, but when they reached the middle ofthe river the swift current swept the raft downstream, farther andfarther away from the road of yellow brick. And the water grew so deepthat the long poles would not touch the bottom.
"This is bad," said the Tin Woodman, "for if we cannot get to the landwe shall be carried into the country of the Wicked Witch of the West,and she will enchant us and make us her slaves."
"And then I should get no brains," said the Scarecrow.
"And I should get no courage," said the Cowardly Lion.
"And I should get no heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"And I should never get back to Kansas," said Dorothy.
"We must certainly get to the Emerald City if we can," the Scarecrowcontinued, and he pushed so hard on his long pole that it stuck fast inthe mud at the bottom of the river. Then, before he could pull it outagain--or let go--the raft was swept away, and the poor Scarecrow leftclinging to the pole in the middle of the river.
"Good-bye!" he called after them, and they were very sorry to leavehim. Indeed, the Tin Woodman began to cry, but fortunately rememberedthat he might rust, and so dried his tears on Dorothy's apron.
Of course this was a bad thing for the Scarecrow.
"I am now worse off than when I first met Dorothy," he thought. "Then,I was stuck on a pole in a cornfield, where I could make-believe scarethe crows, at any rate. But surely there is no use for a Scarecrowstuck on a pole in the middle of a river. I am afraid I shall neverhave any brains, after all!"
Down the stream the raft floated, and the poor Scarecrow was left farbehind. Then the Lion said:
"Something must be done to save us. I think I can swim to the shoreand pull the raft after me, if you will only hold fast to the tip of mytail."
So he sprang into the water, and the Tin Woodman caught fast hold ofhis tail. Then the Lion began to swim with all his might toward theshore. It was hard work, although he was so big; but by and by theywere drawn out of the current, and then Dorothy took the Tin Woodman'slong pole and helped push the raft to the land.
They were all tired out when they reached the shore at last and steppedoff upon the pretty green grass, and they also knew that the stream hadcarried them a long way past the road of yellow brick that led to theEmerald City.
"What shall we do now?" asked the Tin Woodman, as the Lion lay down onthe grass to let the sun dry him.
"We must get back to the road, in some way," said Dorothy.
"The best plan will be to walk along the riverbank until we come to theroad again," remarked the Lion.
So, when they were rested, Dorothy picked up her basket and theystarted along the grassy bank, to the road from which the river hadcarried them. It was a lovely country, with plenty of flowers andfruit trees and sunshine to cheer them, and had they not felt so sorryfor the poor Scarecrow, they could have been very happy.
They walked along as fast as they could, Dorothy only stopping once topick a beautiful flower; and after a time the Tin Woodman cried out:"Look!"
Then they all looked at the river and saw the Scarecrow perched uponhis pole in the middle of the water, looking very lonely and sad.
"What can we do to save him?" asked Dorothy.
The Lion and the Woodman both shook their heads, for they did not know.So they sat down upon the bank and gazed wistfully at the Scarecrowuntil a Stork flew by, who, upon seeing them, stopped to rest at thewater's edge.
"Who are you and where are you going?" asked the Stork.
"I am Dorothy," answered the girl, "and these are my friends, the TinWoodman and the Cowardly Lion; and we are going to the Emerald City."
"This isn't the road," said the Stork, as she twisted her long neck andlooked sharply at the queer party.
"I know it," returned Dorothy, "but we have lost the Scarecrow, and arewondering how we shall get him again."
"Where is he?" asked the Stork.
"Over there in the river," answered the little girl.
"If he wasn't so big and heavy I would get him for you," remarked theStork.
"He isn't heavy a bit," said Dorothy eagerly, "for he is stuffed withstraw; and if you will bring him back to us, we shall thank you everand ever so much."
"Well, I'll try," said the Stork, "but if I find he is too heavy tocarry I shall have to drop him in the river again."
So the big bird flew into the air and over the water till she came towhere the Scarecrow was perched upon his pole. Then the Stork with hergreat claws grabbed the Scarecrow by the arm and carried him up intothe air and back to the bank, where Dorothy and the Lion and the TinWoodman and Toto were sitting.
When the Scarecrow found himself among his friends again, he was sohappy that he hugged them all, even the Lion and Toto; and as theywalked along he sang "Tol-de-ri-de-oh!" at every step, he felt so gay.
"I was afraid I should have to stay in the river forever," he said,"but the kind Stork saved me, and if I ever get any brains I shall findthe Stork again and do her some kindness in return."
"That's all right," said the Stork, who was flying along beside them."I always like to help anyone in trouble. But I must go now, for mybabies are waiting in the nest for me. I hope you will find theEmerald City and that Oz will help you."
"Thank you," replied Dorothy, and then the kind Stork flew into the airand was soon out of sight.
They walked along listening to the singing of the brightly coloredbirds and looking at the lovely flowers which now became so thick thatthe ground was carpeted with them. There were big yellow and white andblue and purple blossoms, besides great clusters of scarlet poppies,which were so brilliant in color they almost dazzled Dorothy's eyes.
"Aren't they beautiful?" the girl asked, as she breathed in the spicyscent of the bright flowers.
"I suppose so," answered the Scarecrow. "When I have brains, I shallprobably like them better."
"If I only had a heart, I should love them," added the Tin Woodman.
"I always did like flowers," said the Lion. "They of seem so helplessand frail. But there are none in the forest so bright as these."
They now came upon more and more of the big scarlet poppies, and fewerand fewer of the other flowers; and soon they found themselves in themidst of a great meadow of poppies. Now it is well known that whenthere are many of these flowers together their odor is so powerful thatanyone who breathes it falls asleep, and if the sleeper is not carriedaway from the scent of the flowers, he sleeps on and on forever. ButDorothy did not know this, nor could she get away from the bright redflowers that were everywhere about; so presently her eyes grew heavyand she felt she must sit down to rest and to sleep.
But the Tin Woodman would not let her do this.
"We must hurry and get back to the road of yellow brick before dark,"he said; and the Scarecrow agreed with him. So they kept walking untilDorothy could stand no longer. Her eyes closed in spite of herself andshe forgot where she was and fell among the poppies, fast asleep.
"What shall we do?" asked the Tin Woodman.
"If we leave her here she will die," said the Lion. "The smell of theflowers is killing us all. I myself can scarcely keep my eyes open,and the dog is asleep already."
It was true; Toto had fallen down beside his little mistress. But theScarecrow and the Tin Woodman, not being made of flesh, were nottroubled by the scent of the flowers.
"Run fast," said the Scarecrow to the Lion, "and get out of this deadlyflower bed as soon as you can. We will bring the little girl with us,but if you should fall asleep you are too big to be carried."
So the Lion aroused himself and bounded forward as fast as he could go.In a moment he was out of sight.
"Let us make a chair with our hands and carry her," said the Scarecrow.So they picked up Toto and put the dog in Dorothy's lap, and then theymade a chair with their hands for the seat and their arms for the armsand carried the sleeping girl between them through the flowers.
On and on they walked, and it seemed that the great carpet of deadlyflowers that surrounded them would never end. They followed the bendof the river, and at last came upon their friend the Lion, lying fastasleep among the poppies. The flowers had been too strong for the hugebeast and he had given up at last, and fallen only a short distancefrom the end of the poppy bed, where the sweet grass spread inbeautiful green fields before them.
"We can do nothing for him," said the Tin Woodman, sadly; "for he ismuch too heavy to lift. We must leave him here to sleep on forever,and perhaps he will dream that he has found courage at last."
"I'm sorry," said the Scarecrow. "The Lion was a very good comrade forone so cowardly. But let us go on."
They carried the sleeping girl to a pretty spot beside the river, farenough from the poppy field to prevent her breathing any more of thepoison of the flowers, and here they laid her gently on the soft grassand waited for the fresh breeze to waken her.
9. The Queen of the Field Mice
"We cannot be far from the road of yellow brick, now," remarked theScarecrow, as he stood beside the girl, "for we have come nearly as faras the river carried us away."
The Tin Woodman was about to reply when he heard a low growl, andturning his head (which worked beautifully on hinges) he saw a strangebeast come bounding over the grass toward them. It was, indeed, agreat yellow Wildcat, and the Woodman thought it must be chasingsomething, for its ears were lying close to its head and its mouth waswide open, showing two rows of ugly teeth, while its red eyes glowedlike balls of fire. As it came nearer the Tin Woodman saw that runningbefore the beast was a little gray field mouse, and although he had noheart he knew it was wrong for the Wildcat to try to kill such apretty, harmless creature.
So the Woodman raised his axe, and as the Wildcat ran by he gave it aquick blow that cut the beast's head clean off from its body, and itrolled over at his feet in two pieces.
The field mouse, now that it was freed from its enemy, stopped short;and coming slowly up to the Woodman it said, in a squeaky little voice:
"Oh, thank you! Thank you ever so much for saving my life."
"Don't speak of it, I beg of you," replied the Woodman. "I have noheart, you know, so I am careful to help all those who may need afriend, even if it happens to be only a mouse."
"Only a mouse!" cried the little animal, indignantly. "Why, I am aQueen--the Queen of all the Field Mice!"
"Oh, indeed," said the Woodman, making a bow.
"Therefore you have done a great deed, as well as a brave one, insaving my life," added the Queen.
At that moment several mice were seen running up as fast as theirlittle legs could carry them, and when they saw their Queen theyexclaimed:
"Oh, your Majesty, we thought you would be killed! How did you manageto escape the great Wildcat?" They all bowed so low to the littleQueen that they almost stood upon their heads.
"This funny tin man," she answered, "killed the Wildcat and saved mylife. So hereafter you must all serve him, and obey his slightestwish."
"We will!" cried all the mice, in a shrill chorus. And then theyscampered in all directions, for Toto had awakened from his sleep, andseeing all these mice around him he gave one bark of delight and jumpedright into the middle of the group. Toto had always loved to chasemice when he lived in Kansas, and he saw no harm in it.
But the Tin Woodman caught the dog in his arms and held him tight,while he called to the mice, "Come back! Come back! Toto shall nothurt you."
At this the Queen of the Mice stuck her head out from underneath aclump of grass and asked, in a timid voice, "Are you sure he will notbite us?"
"I will not let him," said the Woodman; "so do not be afraid."
One by one the mice came creeping back, and Toto did not bark again,although he tried to get out of the Woodman's arms, and would havebitten him had he not known very well he was made of tin. Finally oneof the biggest mice spoke.
"Is there anything we can do," it asked, "to repay you for saving thelife of our Queen?"
"Nothing that I know of," answered the Woodman; but the Scarecrow, whohad been trying to think, but could not because his head was stuffedwith straw, said, quickly, "Oh, yes; you can save our friend, theCowardly Lion, who is asleep in the poppy bed."
"A Lion!" cried the little Queen. "Why, he would eat us all up."
"Oh, no," declared the Scarecrow; "this Lion is a coward."
"Really?" asked the Mouse.
"He says so himself," answered the Scarecrow, "and he would never hurtanyone who is our friend. If you will help us to save him I promisethat he shall treat you all with kindness."
"Very well," said the Queen, "we trust you. But what shall we do?"
"Are there many of these mice which call you Queen and are willing toobey you?"
"Oh, yes; there are thousands," she replied.
"Then send for them all to come here as soon as possible, and let eachone bring a long piece of string."
The Queen turned to the mice that attended her and told them to go atonce and get all her people. As soon as they heard her orders they ranaway in every direction as fast as possible.
"Now," said the Scarecrow to the Tin Woodman, "you must go to thosetrees by the riverside and make a truck that will carry the Lion."
So the Woodman went at once to the trees and began to work; and he soonmade a truck out of the limbs of trees, from which he chopped away allthe leaves and branches. He fastened it together with wooden pegs andmade the four wheels out of short pieces of a big tree trunk. So fastand so well did he work that by the time the mice began to arrive thetruck was all ready for them.
They came from all directions, and there were thousands of them: bigmice and little mice and middle-sized mice; and each one brought apiece of string in his mouth. It was about this time that Dorothy wokefrom her long sleep and opened her eyes. She was greatly astonished tofind herself lying upon the grass, with thousands of mice standingaround and looking at her timidly. But the Scarecrow told her abouteverything, and turning to the dignified little Mouse, he said:
"Permit me to introduce to you her Majesty, the Queen."
Dorothy nodded gravely and the Queen made a curtsy, after which shebecame quite friendly with the little girl.
The Scarecrow and the Woodman now began to fasten the mice to thetruck, using the strings they had brought. One end of a string wastied around the neck of each mouse and the other end to the truck. Ofcourse the truck was a thousand times bigger than any of the mice whowere to draw it; but when all the mice had been harnessed, they wereable to pull it quite easily. Even the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodmancould sit on it, and were drawn swiftly by their queer little horses tothe place where the Lion lay asleep.
After a great deal of hard work, for the Lion was heavy, they managedto get him up on the truck. Then the Queen hurriedly gave her peoplethe order to start, for she feared if the mice stayed among the poppiestoo long they also would fall asleep.
At first the little creatures, many though they were, could hardly stirthe heavily loaded truck; but the Woodman and the Scarecrow both pushedfrom behind, and they got along better. Soon they rolled the Lion outof the poppy bed to the green fields, where he could breathe the sweet,fresh air again, instead of the poisonous scent of the flowers.
Dorothy came to meet them and thanked the little mice warmly for savingher companion from death. She had grown so fond of the big Lion shewas glad he had been rescued.
Then the mice were unharnessed from the truck and scampered awaythrough the grass to their homes. The Queen of the Mice was the lastto leave.
"If ever you need us again," she said, "come out into the field andcall, and we shall hear you and come to your assistance. Good-bye!"
"Good-bye!" they all answered, and away the Queen ran, while Dorothyheld Toto tightly lest he should run after her and frighten her.
After this they sat down beside the Lion until he should awaken; andthe Scarecrow brought Dorothy some fruit from a tree near by, which sheate for her dinner.
10. The Guardian of the Gate
It was some time before the Cowardly Lion awakened, for he had lainamong the poppies a long while, breathing in their deadly fragrance;but when he did open his eyes and roll off the truck he was very gladto find himself still alive.
"I ran as fast as I could," he said, sitting down and yawning, "but theflowers were too strong for me. How did you get me out?"
Then they told him of the field mice, and how they had generously savedhim from death; and the Cowardly Lion laughed, and said:
"I have always thought myself very big and terrible; yet such littlethings as flowers came near to killing me, and such small animals asmice have saved my life. How strange it all is! But, comrades, whatshall we do now?"
"We must journey on until we find the road of yellow brick again," saidDorothy, "and then we can keep on to the Emerald City."
So, the Lion being fully refreshed, and feeling quite himself again,they all started upon the journey, greatly enjoying the walk throughthe soft, fresh grass; and it was not long before they reached the roadof yellow brick and turned again toward the Emerald City where theGreat Oz dwelt.
The road was smooth and well paved, now, and the country about wasbeautiful, so that the travelers rejoiced in leaving the forest farbehind, and with it the many dangers they had met in its gloomy shades.Once more they could see fences built beside the road; but these werepainted green, and when they came to a small house, in which a farmerevidently lived, that also was painted green. They passed by severalof these houses during the afternoon, and sometimes people came to thedoors and looked at them as if they would like to ask questions; but noone came near them nor spoke to them because of the great Lion, ofwhich they were very much afraid. The people were all dressed inclothing of a lovely emerald-green color and wore peaked hats likethose of the Munchkins.
"This must be the Land of Oz," said Dorothy, "and we are surely gettingnear the Emerald City."
"Yes," answered the Scarecrow. "Everything is green here, while in thecountry of the Munchkins blue was the favorite color. But the peopledo not seem to be as friendly as the Munchkins, and I'm afraid we shallbe unable to find a place to pass the night."
"I should like something to eat besides fruit," said the girl, "and I'msure Toto is nearly starved. Let us stop at the next house and talk tothe people."
So, when they came to a good-sized farmhouse, Dorothy walked boldly upto the door and knocked.
A woman opened it just far enough to look out, and said, "What do youwant, child, and why is that great Lion with you?"
"We wish to pass the night with you, if you will allow us," answeredDorothy; "and the Lion is my friend and comrade, and would not hurt youfor the world."
"Is he tame?" asked the woman, opening the door a little wider.
"Oh, yes," said the girl, "and he is a great coward, too. He will bemore afraid of you than you are of him."
"Well," said the woman, after thinking it over and taking another peepat the Lion, "if that is the case you may come in, and I will give yousome supper and a place to sleep."
So they all entered the house, where there were, besides the woman, twochildren and a man. The man had hurt his leg, and was lying on thecouch in a corner. They seemed greatly surprised to see so strange acompany, and while the woman was busy laying the table the man asked:
"Where are you all going?"
"To the Emerald City," said Dorothy, "to see the Great Oz."
"Oh, indeed!" exclaimed the man. "Are you sure that Oz will see you?"
"Why not?" she replied.
"Why, it is said that he never lets anyone come into his presence. Ihave been to the Emerald City many times, and it is a beautiful andwonderful place; but I have never been permitted to see the Great Oz,nor do I know of any living person who has seen him."
"Does he never go out?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Never. He sits day after day in the great Throne Room of his Palace,and even those who wait upon him do not see him face to face."
"What is he like?" asked the girl.
"That is hard to tell," said the man thoughtfully. "You see, Oz is aGreat Wizard, and can take on any form he wishes. So that some say helooks like a bird; and some say he looks like an elephant; and some sayhe looks like a cat. To others he appears as a beautiful fairy, or abrownie, or in any other form that pleases him. But who the real Ozis, when he is in his own form, no living person can tell."
"That is very strange," said Dorothy, "but we must try, in some way, tosee him, or we shall have made our journey for nothing."
"Why do you wish to see the terrible Oz?" asked the man.
"I want him to give me some brains," said the Scarecrow eagerly.
"Oh, Oz could do that easily enough," declared the man. "He has morebrains than he needs."
"And I want him to give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"That will not trouble him," continued the man, "for Oz has a largecollection of hearts, of all sizes and shapes."
"And I want him to give me courage," said the Cowardly Lion.
"Oz keeps a great pot of courage in his Throne Room," said the man,"which he has covered with a golden plate, to keep it from runningover. He will be glad to give you some."
"And I want him to send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy.
"Where is Kansas?" asked the man, with surprise.
"I don't know," replied Dorothy sorrowfully, "but it is my home, andI'm sure it's somewhere."
"Very likely. Well, Oz can do anything; so I suppose he will findKansas for you. But first you must get to see him, and that will be ahard task; for the Great Wizard does not like to see anyone, and heusually has his own way. But what do YOU want?" he continued, speakingto Toto. Toto only wagged his tail; for, strange to say, he could notspeak.
The woman now called to them that supper was ready, so they gatheredaround the table and Dorothy ate some delicious porridge and a dish ofscrambled eggs and a plate of nice white bread, and enjoyed her meal.The Lion ate some of the porridge, but did not care for it, saying itwas made from oats and oats were food for horses, not for lions. TheScarecrow and the Tin Woodman ate nothing at all. Toto ate a little ofeverything, and was glad to get a good supper again.
The woman now gave Dorothy a bed to sleep in, and Toto lay down besideher, while the Lion guarded the door of her room so she might not bedisturbed. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman stood up in a corner andkept quiet all night, although of course they could not sleep.
The next morning, as soon as the sun was up, they started on their way,and soon saw a beautiful green glow in the sky just before them.
"That must be the Emerald City," said Dorothy.
As they walked on, the green glow became brighter and brighter, and itseemed that at last they were nearing the end of their travels. Yet itwas afternoon before they came to the great wall that surrounded theCity. It was high and thick and of a bright green color.
In front of them, and at the end of the road of yellow brick, was a biggate, all studded with emeralds that glittered so in the sun that eventhe painted eyes of the Scarecrow were dazzled by their brilliancy.
There was a bell beside the gate, and Dorothy pushed the button andheard a silvery tinkle sound within. Then the big gate swung slowlyopen, and they all passed through and found themselves in a high archedroom, the walls of which glistened with countless emeralds.
Before them stood a little man about the same size as the Munchkins.He was clothed all in green, from his head to his feet, and even hisskin was of a greenish tint. At his side was a large green box.
When he saw Dorothy and her companions the man asked, "What do you wishin the Emerald City?"
"We came here to see the Great Oz," said Dorothy.
The man was so surprised at this answer that he sat down to think itover.
"It has been many years since anyone asked me to see Oz," he said,shaking his head in perplexity. "He is powerful and terrible, and ifyou come on an idle or foolish errand to bother the wise reflections ofthe Great Wizard, he might be angry and destroy you all in an instant."
"But it is not a foolish errand, nor an idle one," replied theScarecrow; "it is important. And we have been told that Oz is a goodWizard."
"So he is," said the green man, "and he rules the Emerald City wiselyand well. But to those who are not honest, or who approach him fromcuriosity, he is most terrible, and few have ever dared ask to see hisface. I am the Guardian of the Gates, and since you demand to see theGreat Oz I must take you to his Palace. But first you must put on thespectacles."
"Why?" asked Dorothy.
"Because if you did not wear spectacles the brightness and glory of theEmerald City would blind you. Even those who live in the City mustwear spectacles night and day. They are all locked on, for Oz soordered it when the City was first built, and I have the only key thatwill unlock them."
He opened the big box, and Dorothy saw that it was filled withspectacles of every size and shape. All of them had green glasses inthem. The Guardian of the Gates found a pair that would just fitDorothy and put them over her eyes. There were two golden bandsfastened to them that passed around the back of her head, where theywere locked together by a little key that was at the end of a chain theGuardian of the Gates wore around his neck. When they were on, Dorothycould not take them off had she wished, but of course she did not wishto be blinded by the glare of the Emerald City, so she said nothing.
Then the green man fitted spectacles for the Scarecrow and the TinWoodman and the Lion, and even on little Toto; and all were locked fastwith the key.
Then the Guardian of the Gates put on his own glasses and told them hewas ready to show them to the Palace. Taking a big golden key from apeg on the wall, he opened another gate, and they all followed himthrough the portal into the streets of the Emerald City.
11. The Wonderful City of Oz
Even with eyes protected by the green spectacles, Dorothy and herfriends were at first dazzled by the brilliancy of the wonderful City.The streets were lined with beautiful houses all built of green marbleand studded everywhere with sparkling emeralds. They walked over apavement of the same green marble, and where the blocks were joinedtogether were rows of emeralds, set closely, and glittering in thebrightness of the sun. The window panes were of green glass; even thesky above the City had a green tint, and the rays of the sun were green.
There were many people--men, women, and children--walking about, andthese were all dressed in green clothes and had greenish skins. Theylooked at Dorothy and her strangely assorted company with wonderingeyes, and the children all ran away and hid behind their mothers whenthey saw the Lion; but no one spoke to them. Many shops stood in thestreet, and Dorothy saw that everything in them was green. Green candyand green pop corn were offered for sale, as well as green shoes, greenhats, and green clothes of all sorts. At one place a man was sellinggreen lemonade, and when the children bought it Dorothy could see thatthey paid for it with green pennies.
There seemed to be no horses nor animals of any kind; the men carriedthings around in little green carts, which they pushed before them.Everyone seemed happy and contented and prosperous.
The Guardian of the Gates led them through the streets until they cameto a big building, exactly in the middle of the City, which was thePalace of Oz, the Great Wizard. There was a soldier before the door,dressed in a green uniform and wearing a long green beard.
"Here are strangers," said the Guardian of the Gates to him, "and theydemand to see the Great Oz."
"Step inside," answered the soldier, "and I will carry your message tohim."
So they passed through the Palace Gates and were led into a big roomwith a green carpet and lovely green furniture set with emeralds. Thesoldier made them all wipe their feet upon a green mat before enteringthis room, and when they were seated he said politely:
"Please make yourselves comfortable while I go to the door of theThrone Room and tell Oz you are here."
They had to wait a long time before the soldier returned. When, atlast, he came back, Dorothy asked:
"Have you seen Oz?"
"Oh, no," returned the soldier; "I have never seen him. But I spoke tohim as he sat behind his screen and gave him your message. He said hewill grant you an audience, if you so desire; but each one of you mustenter his presence alone, and he will admit but one each day.Therefore, as you must remain in the Palace for several days, I willhave you shown to rooms where you may rest in comfort after yourjourney."
"Thank you," replied the girl; "that is very kind of Oz."
The soldier now blew upon a green whistle, and at once a young girl,dressed in a pretty green silk gown, entered the room. She had lovelygreen hair and green eyes, and she bowed low before Dorothy as shesaid, "Follow me and I will show you your room."
So Dorothy said good-bye to all her friends except Toto, and taking thedog in her arms followed the green girl through seven passages and upthree flights of stairs until they came to a room at the front of thePalace. It was the sweetest little room in the world, with a softcomfortable bed that had sheets of green silk and a green velvetcounterpane. There was a tiny fountain in the middle of the room, thatshot a spray of green perfume into the air, to fall back into abeautifully carved green marble basin. Beautiful green flowers stoodin the windows, and there was a shelf with a row of little green books.When Dorothy had time to open these books she found them full of queergreen pictures that made her laugh, they were so funny.
In a wardrobe were many green dresses, made of silk and satin andvelvet; and all of them fitted Dorothy exactly.
"Make yourself perfectly at home," said the green girl, "and if youwish for anything ring the bell. Oz will send for you tomorrowmorning."
She left Dorothy alone and went back to the others. These she also ledto rooms, and each one of them found himself lodged in a very pleasantpart of the Palace. Of course this politeness was wasted on theScarecrow; for when he found himself alone in his room he stoodstupidly in one spot, just within the doorway, to wait till morning.It would not rest him to lie down, and he could not close his eyes; sohe remained all night staring at a little spider which was weaving itsweb in a corner of the room, just as if it were not one of the mostwonderful rooms in the world. The Tin Woodman lay down on his bed fromforce of habit, for he remembered when he was made of flesh; but notbeing able to sleep, he passed the night moving his joints up and downto make sure they kept in good working order. The Lion would havepreferred a bed of dried leaves in the forest, and did not like beingshut up in a room; but he had too much sense to let this worry him, sohe sprang upon the bed and rolled himself up like a cat and purredhimself asleep in a minute.
The next morning, after breakfast, the green maiden came to fetchDorothy, and she dressed her in one of the prettiest gowns, made ofgreen brocaded satin. Dorothy put on a green silk apron and tied agreen ribbon around Toto's neck, and they started for the Throne Roomof the Great Oz.
First they came to a great hall in which were many ladies and gentlemenof the court, all dressed in rich costumes. These people had nothingto do but talk to each other, but they always came to wait outside theThrone Room every morning, although they were never permitted to seeOz. As Dorothy entered they looked at her curiously, and one of themwhispered:
"Are you really going to look upon the face of Oz the Terrible?"
"Of course," answered the girl, "if he will see me."
"Oh, he will see you," said the soldier who had taken her message tothe Wizard, "although he does not like to have people ask to see him.Indeed, at first he was angry and said I should send you back where youcame from. Then he asked me what you looked like, and when I mentionedyour silver shoes he was very much interested. At last I told himabout the mark upon your forehead, and he decided he would admit you tohis presence."
Just then a bell rang, and the green girl said to Dorothy, "That is thesignal. You must go into the Throne Room alone."
She opened a little door and Dorothy walked boldly through and foundherself in a wonderful place. It was a big, round room with a higharched roof, and the walls and ceiling and floor were covered withlarge emeralds set closely together. In the center of the roof was agreat light, as bright as the sun, which made the emeralds sparkle in awonderful manner.
But what interested Dorothy most was the big throne of green marblethat stood in the middle of the room. It was shaped like a chair andsparkled with gems, as did everything else. In the center of the chairwas an enormous Head, without a body to support it or any arms or legswhatever. There was no hair upon this head, but it had eyes and a noseand mouth, and was much bigger than the head of the biggest giant.
As Dorothy gazed upon this in wonder and fear, the eyes turned slowlyand looked at her sharply and steadily. Then the mouth moved, andDorothy heard a voice say:
"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you, and why do you seek me?"
It was not such an awful voice as she had expected to come from the bigHead; so she took courage and answered:
"I am Dorothy, the Small and Meek. I have come to you for help."
The eyes looked at her thoughtfully for a full minute. Then said thevoice:
"Where did you get the silver shoes?"
"I got them from the Wicked Witch of the East, when my house fell onher and killed her," she replied.
"Where did you get the mark upon your forehead?" continued the voice.
"That is where the Good Witch of the North kissed me when she bade megood-bye and sent me to you," said the girl.
Again the eyes looked at her sharply, and they saw she was telling thetruth. Then Oz asked, "What do you wish me to do?"
"Send me back to Kansas, where my Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are," sheanswered earnestly. "I don't like your country, although it is sobeautiful. And I am sure Aunt Em will be dreadfully worried over mybeing away so long."
The eyes winked three times, and then they turned up to the ceiling anddown to the floor and rolled around so queerly that they seemed to seeevery part of the room. And at last they looked at Dorothy again.
"Why should I do this for you?" asked Oz.
"Because you are strong and I am weak; because you are a Great Wizardand I am only a little girl."
"But you were strong enough to kill the Wicked Witch of the East," saidOz.
"That just happened," returned Dorothy simply; "I could not help it."
"Well," said the Head, "I will give you my answer. You have no rightto expect me to send you back to Kansas unless you do something for mein return. In this country everyone must pay for everything he gets.If you wish me to use my magic power to send you home again you must dosomething for me first. Help me and I will help you."
"What must I do?" asked the girl.
"Kill the Wicked Witch of the West," answered Oz.
"But I cannot!" exclaimed Dorothy, greatly surprised.
"You killed the Witch of the East and you wear the silver shoes, whichbear a powerful charm. There is now but one Wicked Witch left in allthis land, and when you can tell me she is dead I will send you back toKansas--but not before."
The little girl began to weep, she was so much disappointed; and theeyes winked again and looked upon her anxiously, as if the Great Ozfelt that she could help him if she would.
"I never killed anything, willingly," she sobbed. "Even if I wantedto, how could I kill the Wicked Witch? If you, who are Great andTerrible, cannot kill her yourself, how do you expect me to do it?"
"I do not know," said the Head; "but that is my answer, and until theWicked Witch dies you will not see your uncle and aunt again. Rememberthat the Witch is Wicked--tremendously Wicked--and ought to be killed.Now go, and do not ask to see me again until you have done your task."
Sorrowfully Dorothy left the Throne Room and went back where the Lionand the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were waiting to hear what Oz hadsaid to her. "There is no hope for me," she said sadly, "for Oz willnot send me home until I have killed the Wicked Witch of the West; andthat I can never do."
Her friends were sorry, but could do nothing to help her; so Dorothywent to her own room and lay down on the bed and cried herself to sleep.
The next morning the soldier with the green whiskers came to theScarecrow and said:
"Come with me, for Oz has sent for you."
So the Scarecrow followed him and was admitted into the great ThroneRoom, where he saw, sitting in the emerald throne, a most lovely Lady.She was dressed in green silk gauze and wore upon her flowing greenlocks a crown of jewels. Growing from her shoulders were wings,gorgeous in color and so light that they fluttered if the slightestbreath of air reached them.
When the Scarecrow had bowed, as prettily as his straw stuffing wouldlet him, before this beautiful creature, she looked upon him sweetly,and said:
"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you, and why do you seek me?"
Now the Scarecrow, who had expected to see the great Head Dorothy hadtold him of, was much astonished; but he answered her bravely.
"I am only a Scarecrow, stuffed with straw. Therefore I have nobrains, and I come to you praying that you will put brains in my headinstead of straw, so that I may become as much a man as any other inyour dominions."
"Why should I do this for you?" asked the Lady.
"Because you are wise and powerful, and no one else can help me,"answered the Scarecrow.
"I never grant favors without some return," said Oz; "but this much Iwill promise. If you will kill for me the Wicked Witch of the West, Iwill bestow upon you a great many brains, and such good brains that youwill be the wisest man in all the Land of Oz."
"I thought you asked Dorothy to kill the Witch," said the Scarecrow, insurprise.
"So I did. I don't care who kills her. But until she is dead I willnot grant your wish. Now go, and do not seek me again until you haveearned the brains you so greatly desire."
The Scarecrow went sorrowfully back to his friends and told them whatOz had said; and Dorothy was surprised to find that the Great Wizardwas not a Head, as she had seen him, but a lovely Lady.
"All the same," said the Scarecrow, "she needs a heart as much as theTin Woodman."
On the next morning the soldier with the green whiskers came to the TinWoodman and said:
"Oz has sent for you. Follow me."
So the Tin Woodman followed him and came to the great Throne Room. Hedid not know whether he would find Oz a lovely Lady or a Head, but hehoped it would be the lovely Lady. "For," he said to himself, "if itis the head, I am sure I shall not be given a heart, since a head hasno heart of its own and therefore cannot feel for me. But if it is thelovely Lady I shall beg hard for a heart, for all ladies are themselvessaid to be kindly hearted."
But when the Woodman entered the great Throne Room he saw neither theHead nor the Lady, for Oz had taken the shape of a most terrible Beast.It was nearly as big as an elephant, and the green throne seemed hardlystrong enough to hold its weight. The Beast had a head like that of arhinoceros, only there were five eyes in its face. There were fivelong arms growing out of its body, and it also had five long, slimlegs. Thick, woolly hair covered every part of it, and a moredreadful-looking monster could not be imagined. It was fortunate theTin Woodman had no heart at that moment, for it would have beat loudand fast from terror. But being only tin, the Woodman was not at allafraid, although he was much disappointed.
"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible," spoke the Beast, in a voice that wasone great roar. "Who are you, and why do you seek me?"
"I am a Woodman, and made of tin. Therefore I have no heart, andcannot love. I pray you to give me a heart that I may be as other menare."
"Why should I do this?" demanded the Beast.
"Because I ask it, and you alone can grant my request," answered theWoodman.
Oz gave a low growl at this, but said, gruffly: "If you indeed desire aheart, you must earn it."
"How?" asked the Woodman.
"Help Dorothy to kill the Wicked Witch of the West," replied the Beast."When the Witch is dead, come to me, and I will then give you thebiggest and kindest and most loving heart in all the Land of Oz."
So the Tin Woodman was forced to return sorrowfully to his friends andtell them of the terrible Beast he had seen. They all wondered greatlyat the many forms the Great Wizard could take upon himself, and theLion said:
"If he is a Beast when I go to see him, I shall roar my loudest, and sofrighten him that he will grant all I ask. And if he is the lovelyLady, I shall pretend to spring upon her, and so compel her to do mybidding. And if he is the great Head, he will be at my mercy; for Iwill roll this head all about the room until he promises to give uswhat we desire. So be of good cheer, my friends, for all will yet bewell."
The next morning the soldier with the green whiskers led the Lion tothe great Throne Room and bade him enter the presence of Oz.
The Lion at once passed through the door, and glancing around saw, tohis surprise, that before the throne was a Ball of Fire, so fierce andglowing he could scarcely bear to gaze upon it. His first thought wasthat Oz had by accident caught on fire and was burning up; but when hetried to go nearer, the heat was so intense that it singed hiswhiskers, and he crept back tremblingly to a spot nearer the door.
Then a low, quiet voice came from the Ball of Fire, and these were thewords it spoke:
"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you, and why do you seek me?"
And the Lion answered, "I am a Cowardly Lion, afraid of everything. Icame to you to beg that you give me courage, so that in reality I maybecome the King of Beasts, as men call me."
"Why should I give you courage?" demanded Oz.
"Because of all Wizards you are the greatest, and alone have power togrant my request," answered the Lion.
The Ball of Fire burned fiercely for a time, and the voice said, "Bringme proof that the Wicked Witch is dead, and that moment I will give youcourage. But as long as the Witch lives, you must remain a coward."
The Lion was angry at this speech, but could say nothing in reply, andwhile he stood silently gazing at the Ball of Fire it became sofuriously hot that he turned tail and rushed from the room. He wasglad to find his friends waiting for him, and told them of his terribleinterview with the Wizard.
"What shall we do now?" asked Dorothy sadly.
"There is only one thing we can do," returned the Lion, "and that is togo to the land of the Winkies, seek out the Wicked Witch, and destroyher."
"But suppose we cannot?" said the girl.
"Then I shall never have courage," declared the Lion.
"And I shall never have brains," added the Scarecrow.
"And I shall never have a heart," spoke the Tin Woodman.
"And I shall never see Aunt Em and Uncle Henry," said Dorothy,beginning to cry.
"Be careful!" cried the green girl. "The tears will fall on your greensilk gown and spot it."
So Dorothy dried her eyes and said, "I suppose we must try it; but I amsure I do not want to kill anybody, even to see Aunt Em again."
"I will go with you; but I'm too much of a coward to kill the Witch,"said the Lion.
"I will go too," declared the Scarecrow; "but I shall not be of muchhelp to you, I am such a fool."
"I haven't the heart to harm even a Witch," remarked the Tin Woodman;"but if you go I certainly shall go with you."
Therefore it was decided to start upon their journey the next morning,and the Woodman sharpened his axe on a green grindstone and had all hisjoints properly oiled. The Scarecrow stuffed himself with fresh strawand Dorothy put new paint on his eyes that he might see better. Thegreen girl, who was very kind to them, filled Dorothy's basket withgood things to eat, and fastened a little bell around Toto's neck witha green ribbon.
They went to bed quite early and slept soundly until daylight, whenthey were awakened by the crowing of a green cock that lived in theback yard of the Palace, and the cackling of a hen that had laid agreen egg.
12. The Search for the Wicked Witch
The soldier with the green whiskers led them through the streets of theEmerald City until they reached the room where the Guardian of theGates lived. This officer unlocked their spectacles to put them backin his great box, and then he politely opened the gate for our friends.
"Which road leads to the Wicked Witch of the West?" asked Dorothy.
"There is no road," answered the Guardian of the Gates. "No one everwishes to go that way."
"How, then, are we to find her?" inquired the girl.
"That will be easy," replied the man, "for when she knows you are inthe country of the Winkies she will find you, and make you all herslaves."
"Perhaps not," said the Scarecrow, "for we mean to destroy her."
"Oh, that is different," said the Guardian of the Gates. "No one hasever destroyed her before, so I naturally thought she would make slavesof you, as she has of the rest. But take care; for she is wicked andfierce, and may not allow you to destroy her. Keep to the West, wherethe sun sets, and you cannot fail to find her."
They thanked him and bade him good-bye, and turned toward the West,walking over fields of soft grass dotted here and there with daisiesand buttercups. Dorothy still wore the pretty silk dress she had puton in the palace, but now, to her surprise, she found it was no longergreen, but pure white. The ribbon around Toto's neck had also lost itsgreen color and was as white as Dorothy's dress.
The Emerald City was soon left far behind. As they advanced the groundbecame rougher and hillier, for there were no farms nor houses in thiscountry of the West, and the ground was untilled.
In the afternoon the sun shone hot in their faces, for there were notrees to offer them shade; so that before night Dorothy and Toto andthe Lion were tired, and lay down upon the grass and fell asleep, withthe Woodman and the Scarecrow keeping watch.
Now the Wicked Witch of the West had but one eye, yet that was aspowerful as a telescope, and could see everywhere. So, as she sat inthe door of her castle, she happened to look around and saw Dorothylying asleep, with her friends all about her. They were a longdistance off, but the Wicked Witch was angry to find them in hercountry; so she blew upon a silver whistle that hung around her neck.
At once there came running to her from all directions a pack of greatwolves. They had long legs and fierce eyes and sharp teeth.
"Go to those people," said the Witch, "and tear them to pieces."
"Are you not going to make them your slaves?" asked the leader of thewolves.
"No," she answered, "one is of tin, and one of straw; one is a girl andanother a Lion. None of them is fit to work, so you may tear them intosmall pieces."
"Very well," said the wolf, and he dashed away at full speed, followedby the others.
It was lucky the Scarecrow and the Woodman were wide awake and heardthe wolves coming.
"This is my fight," said the Woodman, "so get behind me and I will meetthem as they come."
He seized his axe, which he had made very sharp, and as the leader ofthe wolves came on the Tin Woodman swung his arm and chopped the wolf'shead from its body, so that it immediately died. As soon as he couldraise his axe another wolf came up, and he also fell under the sharpedge of the Tin Woodman's weapon. There were forty wolves, and fortytimes a wolf was killed, so that at last they all lay dead in a heapbefore the Woodman.
Then he put down his axe and sat beside the Scarecrow, who said, "Itwas a good fight, friend."
They waited until Dorothy awoke the next morning. The little girl wasquite frightened when she saw the great pile of shaggy wolves, but theTin Woodman told her all. She thanked him for saving them and sat downto breakfast, after which they started again upon their journey.
Now this same morning the Wicked Witch came to the door of her castleand looked out with her one eye that could see far off. She saw allher wolves lying dead, and the strangers still traveling through hercountry. This made her angrier than before, and she blew her silverwhistle twice.
Straightway a great flock of wild crows came flying toward her, enoughto darken the sky.
And the Wicked Witch said to the King Crow, "Fly at once to thestrangers; peck out their eyes and tear them to pieces."
The wild crows flew in one great flock toward Dorothy and hercompanions. When the little girl saw them coming she was afraid.
But the Scarecrow said, "This is my battle, so lie down beside me andyou will not be harmed."
So they all lay upon the ground except the Scarecrow, and he stood upand stretched out his arms. And when the crows saw him they werefrightened, as these birds always are by scarecrows, and did not dareto come any nearer. But the King Crow said:
"It is only a stuffed man. I will peck his eyes out."
The King Crow flew at the Scarecrow, who caught it by the head andtwisted its neck until it died. And then another crow flew at him, andthe Scarecrow twisted its neck also. There were forty crows, and fortytimes the Scarecrow twisted a neck, until at last all were lying deadbeside him. Then he called to his companions to rise, and again theywent upon their journey.
When the Wicked Witch looked out again and saw all her crows lying in aheap, she got into a terrible rage, and blew three times upon hersilver whistle.
Forthwith there was heard a great buzzing in the air, and a swarm ofblack bees came flying toward her.
"Go to the strangers and sting them to death!" commanded the Witch, andthe bees turned and flew rapidly until they came to where Dorothy andher friends were walking. But the Woodman had seen them coming, andthe Scarecrow had decided what to do.
"Take out my straw and scatter it over the little girl and the dog andthe Lion," he said to the Woodman, "and the bees cannot sting them."This the Woodman did, and as Dorothy lay close beside the Lion and heldToto in her arms, the straw covered them entirely.
The bees came and found no one but the Woodman to sting, so they flewat him and broke off all their stings against the tin, without hurtingthe Woodman at all. And as bees cannot live when their stings arebroken that was the end of the black bees, and they lay scattered thickabout the Woodman, like little heaps of fine coal.
Then Dorothy and the Lion got up, and the girl helped the Tin Woodmanput the straw back into the Scarecrow again, until he was as good asever. So they started upon their journey once more.
The Wicked Witch was so angry when she saw her black bees in littleheaps like fine coal that she stamped her foot and tore her hair andgnashed her teeth. And then she called a dozen of her slaves, who werethe Winkies, and gave them sharp spears, telling them to go to thestrangers and destroy them.
The Winkies were not a brave people, but they had to do as they weretold. So they marched away until they came near to Dorothy. Then theLion gave a great roar and sprang towards them, and the poor Winkieswere so frightened that they ran back as fast as they could.
When they returned to the castle the Wicked Witch beat them well with astrap, and sent them back to their work, after which she sat down tothink what she should do next. She could not understand how all herplans to destroy these strangers had failed; but she was a powerfulWitch, as well as a wicked one, and she soon made up her mind how toact.
There was, in her cupboard, a Golden Cap, with a circle of diamonds andrubies running round it. This Golden Cap had a charm. Whoever ownedit could call three times upon the Winged Monkeys, who would obey anyorder they were given. But no person could command these strangecreatures more than three times. Twice already the Wicked Witch hadused the charm of the Cap. Once was when she had made the Winkies herslaves, and set herself to rule over their country. The Winged Monkeyshad helped her do this. The second time was when she had foughtagainst the Great Oz himself, and driven him out of the land of theWest. The Winged Monkeys had also helped her in doing this. Only oncemore could she use this Golden Cap, for which reason she did not liketo do so until all her other powers were exhausted. But now that herfierce wolves and her wild crows and her stinging bees were gone, andher slaves had been scared away by the Cowardly Lion, she saw there wasonly one way left to destroy Dorothy and her friends.
So the Wicked Witch took the Golden Cap from her cupboard and placed itupon her head. Then she stood upon her left foot and said slowly:
"Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!"
Next she stood upon her right foot and said:
"Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!"
After this she stood upon both feet and cried in a loud voice:
"Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!"
Now the charm began to work. The sky was darkened, and a low rumblingsound was heard in the air. There was a rushing of many wings, a greatchattering and laughing, and the sun came out of the dark sky to showthe Wicked Witch surrounded by a crowd of monkeys, each with a pair ofimmense and powerful wings on his shoulders.
One, much bigger than the others, seemed to be their leader. He flewclose to the Witch and said, "You have called us for the third and lasttime. What do you command?"
"Go to the strangers who are within my land and destroy them all exceptthe Lion," said the Wicked Witch. "Bring that beast to me, for I havea mind to harness him like a horse, and make him work."
"Your commands shall be obeyed," said the leader. Then, with a greatdeal of chattering and noise, the Winged Monkeys flew away to the placewhere Dorothy and her friends were walking.
Some of the Monkeys seized the Tin Woodman and carried him through theair until they were over a country thickly covered with sharp rocks.Here they dropped the poor Woodman, who fell a great distance to therocks, where he lay so battered and dented that he could neither movenor groan.
Others of the Monkeys caught the Scarecrow, and with their long fingerspulled all of the straw out of his clothes and head. They made his hatand boots and clothes into a small bundle and threw it into the topbranches of a tall tree.
The remaining Monkeys threw pieces of stout rope around the Lion andwound many coils about his body and head and legs, until he was unableto bite or scratch or struggle in any way. Then they lifted him up andflew away with him to the Witch's castle, where he was placed in asmall yard with a high iron fence around it, so that he could notescape.
But Dorothy they did not harm at all. She stood, with Toto in herarms, watching the sad fate of her comrades and thinking it would soonbe her turn. The leader of the Winged Monkeys flew up to her, hislong, hairy arms stretched out and his ugly face grinning terribly; buthe saw the mark of the Good Witch's kiss upon her forehead and stoppedshort, motioning the others not to touch her.
"We dare not harm this little girl," he said to them, "for she isprotected by the Power of Good, and that is greater than the Power ofEvil. All we can do is to carry her to the castle of the Wicked Witchand leave her there."
So, carefully and gently, they lifted Dorothy in their arms and carriedher swiftly through the air until they came to the castle, where theyset her down upon the front doorstep. Then the leader said to theWitch:
"We have obeyed you as far as we were able. The Tin Woodman and theScarecrow are destroyed, and the Lion is tied up in your yard. Thelittle girl we dare not harm, nor the dog she carries in her arms.Your power over our band is now ended, and you will never see us again."
Then all the Winged Monkeys, with much laughing and chattering andnoise, flew into the air and were soon out of sight.
The Wicked Witch was both surprised and worried when she saw the markon Dorothy's forehead, for she knew well that neither the WingedMonkeys nor she, herself, dare hurt the girl in any way. She lookeddown at Dorothy's feet, and seeing the Silver Shoes, began to tremblewith fear, for she knew what a powerful charm belonged to them. Atfirst the Witch was tempted to run away from Dorothy; but she happenedto look into the child's eyes and saw how simple the soul behind themwas, and that the little girl did not know of the wonderful power theSilver Shoes gave her. So the Wicked Witch laughed to herself, andthought, "I can still make her my slave, for she does not know how touse her power." Then she said to Dorothy, harshly and severely:
"Come with me; and see that you mind everything I tell you, for if youdo not I will make an end of you, as I did of the Tin Woodman and theScarecrow."
Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castleuntil they came to the kitchen, where the Witch bade her clean the potsand kettles and sweep the floor and keep the fire fed with wood.
Dorothy went to work meekly, with her mind made up to work as hard asshe could; for she was glad the Wicked Witch had decided not to killher.
With Dorothy hard at work, the Witch thought she would go into thecourtyard and harness the Cowardly Lion like a horse; it would amuseher, she was sure, to make him draw her chariot whenever she wished togo to drive. But as she opened the gate the Lion gave a loud roar andbounded at her so fiercely that the Witch was afraid, and ran out andshut the gate again.
"If I cannot harness you," said the Witch to the Lion, speaking throughthe bars of the gate, "I can starve you. You shall have nothing to eatuntil you do as I wish."
So after that she took no food to the imprisoned Lion; but every dayshe came to the gate at noon and asked, "Are you ready to be harnessedlike a horse?"
And the Lion would answer, "No. If you come in this yard, I will biteyou."
The reason the Lion did not have to do as the Witch wished was thatevery night, while the woman was asleep, Dorothy carried him food fromthe cupboard. After he had eaten he would lie down on his bed ofstraw, and Dorothy would lie beside him and put her head on his soft,shaggy mane, while they talked of their troubles and tried to plan someway to escape. But they could find no way to get out of the castle,for it was constantly guarded by the yellow Winkies, who were theslaves of the Wicked Witch and too afraid of her not to do as she toldthem.
The girl had to work hard during the day, and often the Witchthreatened to beat her with the same old umbrella she always carried inher hand. But, in truth, she did not dare to strike Dorothy, becauseof the mark upon her forehead. The child did not know this, and wasfull of fear for herself and Toto. Once the Witch struck Toto a blowwith her umbrella and the brave little dog flew at her and bit her legin return. The Witch did not bleed where she was bitten, for she wasso wicked that the blood in her had dried up many years before.
Dorothy's life became very sad as she grew to understand that it wouldbe harder than ever to get back to Kansas and Aunt Em again. Sometimesshe would cry bitterly for hours, with Toto sitting at her feet andlooking into her face, whining dismally to show how sorry he was forhis little mistress. Toto did not really care whether he was in Kansasor the Land of Oz so long as Dorothy was with him; but he knew thelittle girl was unhappy, and that made him unhappy too.
Now the Wicked Witch had a great longing to have for her own the SilverShoes which the girl always wore. Her bees and her crows and herwolves were lying in heaps and drying up, and she had used up all thepower of the Golden Cap; but if she could only get hold of the SilverShoes, they would give her more power than all the other things she hadlost. She watched Dorothy carefully, to see if she ever took off hershoes, thinking she might steal them. But the child was so proud ofher pretty shoes that she never took them off except at night and whenshe took her bath. The Witch was too much afraid of the dark to darego in Dorothy's room at night to take the shoes, and her dread of waterwas greater than her fear of the dark, so she never came near whenDorothy was bathing. Indeed, the old Witch never touched water, norever let water touch her in any way.
But the wicked creature was very cunning, and she finally thought of atrick that would give her what she wanted. She placed a bar of iron inthe middle of the kitchen floor, and then by her magic arts made theiron invisible to human eyes. So that when Dorothy walked across thefloor she stumbled over the bar, not being able to see it, and fell atfull length. She was not much hurt, but in her fall one of the SilverShoes came off; and before she could reach it, the Witch had snatchedit away and put it on her own skinny foot.
The wicked woman was greatly pleased with the success of her trick, foras long as she had one of the shoes she owned half the power of theircharm, and Dorothy could not use it against her, even had she known howto do so.
The little girl, seeing she had lost one of her pretty shoes, grewangry, and said to the Witch, "Give me back my shoe!"
"I will not," retorted the Witch, "for it is now my shoe, and notyours."
"You are a wicked creature!" cried Dorothy. "You have no right to takemy shoe from me."
"I shall keep it, just the same," said the Witch, laughing at her, "andsomeday I shall get the other one from you, too."
This made Dorothy so very angry that she picked up the bucket of waterthat stood near and dashed it over the Witch, wetting her from head tofoot.
Instantly the wicked woman gave a loud cry of fear, and then, asDorothy looked at her in wonder, the Witch began to shrink and fallaway.
"See what you have done!" she screamed. "In a minute I shall meltaway."
"I'm very sorry, indeed," said Dorothy, who was truly frightened to seethe Witch actually melting away like brown sugar before her very eyes.
"Didn't you know water would be the end of me?" asked the Witch, in awailing, despairing voice.
"Of course not," answered Dorothy. "How should I?"
"Well, in a few minutes I shall be all melted, and you will have thecastle to yourself. I have been wicked in my day, but I never thoughta little girl like you would ever be able to melt me and end my wickeddeeds. Look out--here I go!"
With these words the Witch fell down in a brown, melted, shapeless massand began to spread over the clean boards of the kitchen floor. Seeingthat she had really melted away to nothing, Dorothy drew another bucketof water and threw it over the mess. She then swept it all out thedoor. After picking out the silver shoe, which was all that was leftof the old woman, she cleaned and dried it with a cloth, and put it onher foot again. Then, being at last free to do as she chose, she ranout to the courtyard to tell the Lion that the Wicked Witch of the Westhad come to an end, and that they were no longer prisoners in a strangeland.
13. The Rescue
The Cowardly Lion was much pleased to hear that the Wicked Witch hadbeen melted by a bucket of water, and Dorothy at once unlocked the gateof his prison and set him free. They went in together to the castle,where Dorothy's first act was to call all the Winkies together and tellthem that they were no longer slaves.
There was great rejoicing among the yellow Winkies, for they had beenmade to work hard during many years for the Wicked Witch, who hadalways treated them with great cruelty. They kept this day as aholiday, then and ever after, and spent the time in feasting anddancing.
"If our friends, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, were only with us,"said the Lion, "I should be quite happy."
"Don't you suppose we could rescue them?" asked the girl anxiously.
"We can try," answered the Lion.
So they called the yellow Winkies and asked them if they would help torescue their friends, and the Winkies said that they would be delightedto do all in their power for Dorothy, who had set them free frombondage. So she chose a number of the Winkies who looked as if theyknew the most, and they all started away. They traveled that day andpart of the next until they came to the rocky plain where the TinWoodman lay, all battered and bent. His axe was near him, but theblade was rusted and the handle broken off short.
The Winkies lifted him tenderly in their arms, and carried him back tothe Yellow Castle again, Dorothy shedding a few tears by the way at thesad plight of her old friend, and the Lion looking sober and sorry.When they reached the castle Dorothy said to the Winkies:
"Are any of your people tinsmiths?"
"Oh, yes. Some of us are very good tinsmiths," they told her.
"Then bring them to me," she said. And when the tinsmiths came,bringing with them all their tools in baskets, she inquired, "Can youstraighten out those dents in the Tin Woodman, and bend him back intoshape again, and solder him together where he is broken?"
The tinsmiths looked the Woodman over carefully and then answered thatthey thought they could mend him so he would be as good as ever. Sothey set to work in one of the big yellow rooms of the castle andworked for three days and four nights, hammering and twisting andbending and soldering and polishing and pounding at the legs and bodyand head of the Tin Woodman, until at last he was straightened out intohis old form, and his joints worked as well as ever. To be sure, therewere several patches on him, but the tinsmiths did a good job, and asthe Woodman was not a vain man he did not mind the patches at all.
When, at last, he walked into Dorothy's room and thanked her forrescuing him, he was so pleased that he wept tears of joy, and Dorothyhad to wipe every tear carefully from his face with her apron, so hisjoints would not be rusted. At the same time her own tears fell thickand fast at the joy of meeting her old friend again, and these tearsdid not need to be wiped away. As for the Lion, he wiped his eyes sooften with the tip of his tail that it became quite wet, and he wasobliged to go out into the courtyard and hold it in the sun till itdried.
"If we only had the Scarecrow with us again," said the Tin Woodman,when Dorothy had finished telling him everything that had happened, "Ishould be quite happy."
"We must try to find him," said the girl.
So she called the Winkies to help her, and they walked all that day andpart of the next until they came to the tall tree in the branches ofwhich the Winged Monkeys had tossed the Scarecrow's clothes.
It was a very tall tree, and the trunk was so smooth that no one couldclimb it; but the Woodman said at once, "I'll chop it down, and then wecan get the Scarecrow's clothes."
Now while the tinsmiths had been at work mending the Woodman himself,another of the Winkies, who was a goldsmith, had made an axe-handle ofsolid gold and fitted it to the Woodman's axe, instead of the oldbroken handle. Others polished the blade until all the rust wasremoved and it glistened like burnished silver.
As soon as he had spoken, the Tin Woodman began to chop, and in a shorttime the tree fell over with a crash, whereupon the Scarecrow's clothesfell out of the branches and rolled off on the ground.
Dorothy picked them up and had the Winkies carry them back to thecastle, where they were stuffed with nice, clean straw; and behold!here was the Scarecrow, as good as ever, thanking them over and overagain for saving him.
Now that they were reunited, Dorothy and her friends spent a few happydays at the Yellow Castle, where they found everything they needed tomake them comfortable.
But one day the girl thought of Aunt Em, and said, "We must go back toOz, and claim his promise."
"Yes," said the Woodman, "at last I shall get my heart."
"And I shall get my brains," added the Scarecrow joyfully.
"And I shall get my courage," said the Lion thoughtfully.
"And I shall get back to Kansas," cried Dorothy, clapping her hands."Oh, let us start for the Emerald City tomorrow!"
This they decided to do. The next day they called the Winkies togetherand bade them good-bye. The Winkies were sorry to have them go, andthey had grown so fond of the Tin Woodman that they begged him to stayand rule over them and the Yellow Land of the West. Finding they weredetermined to go, the Winkies gave Toto and the Lion each a goldencollar; and to Dorothy they presented a beautiful bracelet studded withdiamonds; and to the Scarecrow they gave a gold-headed walking stick,to keep him from stumbling; and to the Tin Woodman they offered asilver oil-can, inlaid with gold and set with precious jewels.
Every one of the travelers made the Winkies a pretty speech in return,and all shook hands with them until their arms ached.
Dorothy went to the Witch's cupboard to fill her basket with food forthe journey, and there she saw the Golden Cap. She tried it on her ownhead and found that it fitted her exactly. She did not know anythingabout the charm of the Golden Cap, but she saw that it was pretty, soshe made up her mind to wear it and carry her sunbonnet in the basket.
Then, being prepared for the journey, they all started for the EmeraldCity; and the Winkies gave them three cheers and many good wishes tocarry with them.
14. The Winged Monkeys
You will remember there was no road--not even a pathway--between thecastle of the Wicked Witch and the Emerald City. When the fourtravelers went in search of the Witch she had seen them coming, and sosent the Winged Monkeys to bring them to her. It was much harder tofind their way back through the big fields of buttercups and yellowdaisies than it was being carried. They knew, of course, they must gostraight east, toward the rising sun; and they started off in the rightway. But at noon, when the sun was over their heads, they did not knowwhich was east and which was west, and that was the reason they werelost in the great fields. They kept on walking, however, and at nightthe moon came out and shone brightly. So they lay down among the sweetsmelling yellow flowers and slept soundly until morning--all but theScarecrow and the Tin Woodman.
The next morning the sun was behind a cloud, but they started on, as ifthey were quite sure which way they were going.
"If we walk far enough," said Dorothy, "I am sure we shall sometimecome to some place."
But day by day passed away, and they still saw nothing before them butthe scarlet fields. The Scarecrow began to grumble a bit.
"We have surely lost our way," he said, "and unless we find it again intime to reach the Emerald City, I shall never get my brains."
"Nor I my heart," declared the Tin Woodman. "It seems to me I canscarcely wait till I get to Oz, and you must admit this is a very longjourney."
"You see," said the Cowardly Lion, with a whimper, "I haven't thecourage to keep tramping forever, without getting anywhere at all."
Then Dorothy lost heart. She sat down on the grass and looked at hercompanions, and they sat down and looked at her, and Toto found thatfor the first time in his life he was too tired to chase a butterflythat flew past his head. So he put out his tongue and panted andlooked at Dorothy as if to ask what they should do next.
"Suppose we call the field mice," she suggested. "They could probablytell us the way to the Emerald City."
"To be sure they could," cried the Scarecrow. "Why didn't we think ofthat before?"
Dorothy blew the little whistle she had always carried about her necksince the Queen of the Mice had given it to her. In a few minutes theyheard the pattering of tiny feet, and many of the small gray mice camerunning up to her. Among them was the Queen herself, who asked, in hersqueaky little voice:
"What can I do for my friends?"
"We have lost our way," said Dorothy. "Can you tell us where theEmerald City is?"
"Certainly," answered the Queen; "but it is a great way off, for youhave had it at your backs all this time." Then she noticed Dorothy'sGolden Cap, and said, "Why don't you use the charm of the Cap, and callthe Winged Monkeys to you? They will carry you to the City of Oz inless than an hour."
"I didn't know there was a charm," answered Dorothy, in surprise."What is it?"
"It is written inside the Golden Cap," replied the Queen of the Mice."But if you are going to call the Winged Monkeys we must run away, forthey are full of mischief and think it great fun to plague us."
"Won't they hurt me?" asked the girl anxiously.
"Oh, no. They must obey the wearer of the Cap. Good-bye!" And shescampered out of sight, with all the mice hurrying after her.
Dorothy looked inside the Golden Cap and saw some words written uponthe lining. These, she thought, must be the charm, so she read thedirections carefully and put the Cap upon her head.
"Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!" she said, standing on her left foot.
"What did you say?" asked the Scarecrow, who did not know what she wasdoing.
"Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!" Dorothy went on, standing this time on herright foot.
"Hello!" replied the Tin Woodman calmly.
"Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!" said Dorothy, who was now standing on both feet.This ended the saying of the charm, and they heard a great chatteringand flapping of wings, as the band of Winged Monkeys flew up to them.
The King bowed low before Dorothy, and asked, "What is your command?"
"We wish to go to the Emerald City," said the child, "and we have lostour way."
"We will carry you," replied the King, and no sooner had he spoken thantwo of the Monkeys caught Dorothy in their arms and flew away with her.Others took the Scarecrow and the Woodman and the Lion, and one littleMonkey seized Toto and flew after them, although the dog tried hard tobite him.
The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were rather frightened at first, forthey remembered how badly the Winged Monkeys had treated them before;but they saw that no harm was intended, so they rode through the airquite cheerfully, and had a fine time looking at the pretty gardens andwoods far below them.
Dorothy found herself riding easily between two of the biggest Monkeys,one of them the King himself. They had made a chair of their hands andwere careful not to hurt her.
"Why do you have to obey the charm of the Golden Cap?" she asked.
"That is a long story," answered the King, with a Winged laugh; "but aswe have a long journey before us, I will pass the time by telling youabout it, if you wish."
"I shall be glad to hear it," she replied.
"Once," began the leader, "we were a free people, living happily in thegreat forest, flying from tree to tree, eating nuts and fruit, anddoing just as we pleased without calling anybody master. Perhaps someof us were rather too full of mischief at times, flying down to pullthe tails of the animals that had no wings, chasing birds, and throwingnuts at the people who walked in the forest. But we were careless andhappy and full of fun, and enjoyed every minute of the day. This wasmany years ago, long before Oz came out of the clouds to rule over thisland.
"There lived here then, away at the North, a beautiful princess, whowas also a powerful sorceress. All her magic was used to help thepeople, and she was never known to hurt anyone who was good. Her namewas Gayelette, and she lived in a handsome palace built from greatblocks of ruby. Everyone loved her, but her greatest sorrow was thatshe could find no one to love in return, since all the men were muchtoo stupid and ugly to mate with one so beautiful and wise. At last,however, she found a boy who was handsome and manly and wise beyond hisyears. Gayelette made up her mind that when he grew to be a man shewould make him her husband, so she took him to her ruby palace and usedall her magic powers to make him as strong and good and lovely as anywoman could wish. When he grew to manhood, Quelala, as he was called,was said to be the best and wisest man in all the land, while his manlybeauty was so great that Gayelette loved him dearly, and hastened tomake everything ready for the wedding.
"My grandfather was at that time the King of the Winged Monkeys whichlived in the forest near Gayelette's palace, and the old fellow loved ajoke better than a good dinner. One day, just before the wedding, mygrandfather was flying out with his band when he saw Quelala walkingbeside the river. He was dressed in a rich costume of pink silk andpurple velvet, and my grandfather thought he would see what he coulddo. At his word the band flew down and seized Quelala, carried him intheir arms until they were over the middle of the river, and thendropped him into the water.
"`Swim out, my fine fellow,' cried my grandfather, `and see if thewater has spotted your clothes.' Quelala was much too wise not toswim, and he was not in the least spoiled by all his good fortune. Helaughed, when he came to the top of the water, and swam in to shore.But when Gayelette came running out to him she found his silks andvelvet all ruined by the river.
"The princess was angry, and she knew, of course, who did it. She hadall the Winged Monkeys brought before her, and she said at first thattheir wings should be tied and they should be treated as they hadtreated Quelala, and dropped in the river. But my grandfather pleadedhard, for he knew the Monkeys would drown in the river with their wingstied, and Quelala said a kind word for them also; so that Gayelettefinally spared them, on condition that the Winged Monkeys should everafter do three times the bidding of the owner of the Golden Cap. ThisCap had been made for a wedding present to Quelala, and it is said tohave cost the princess half her kingdom. Of course my grandfather andall the other Monkeys at once agreed to the condition, and that is howit happens that we are three times the slaves of the owner of theGolden Cap, whosoever he may be."
"And what became of them?" asked Dorothy, who had been greatlyinterested in the story.
"Quelala being the first owner of the Golden Cap," replied the Monkey,"he was the first to lay his wishes upon us. As his bride could notbear the sight of us, he called us all to him in the forest after hehad married her and ordered us always to keep where she could neveragain set eyes on a Winged Monkey, which we were glad to do, for wewere all afraid of her.
"This was all we ever had to do until the Golden Cap fell into thehands of the Wicked Witch of the West, who made us enslave the Winkies,and afterward drive Oz himself out of the Land of the West. Now theGolden Cap is yours, and three times you have the right to lay yourwishes upon us."
As the Monkey King finished his story Dorothy looked down and saw thegreen, shining walls of the Emerald City before them. She wondered atthe rapid flight of the Monkeys, but was glad the journey was over.The strange creatures set the travelers down carefully before the gateof the City, the King bowed low to Dorothy, and then flew swiftly away,followed by all his band.
"That was a good ride," said the little girl.
"Yes, and a quick way out of our troubles," replied the Lion. "Howlucky it was you brought away that wonderful Cap!"
15. The Discovery of Oz, the Terrible
The four travelers walked up to the great gate of Emerald City and rangthe bell. After ringing several times, it was opened by the sameGuardian of the Gates they had met before.
"What! are you back again?" he asked, in surprise.
"Do you not see us?" answered the Scarecrow.
"But I thought you had gone to visit the Wicked Witch of the West."
"We did visit her," said the Scarecrow.
"And she let you go again?" asked the man, in wonder.
"She could not help it, for she is melted," explained the Scarecrow.
"Melted! Well, that is good news, indeed," said the man. "Who meltedher?"
"It was Dorothy," said the Lion gravely.
"Good gracious!" exclaimed the man, and he bowed very low indeed beforeher.
Then he led them into his little room and locked the spectacles fromthe great box on all their eyes, just as he had done before. Afterwardthey passed on through the gate into the Emerald City. When the peopleheard from the Guardian of the Gates that Dorothy had melted the WickedWitch of the West, they all gathered around the travelers and followedthem in a great crowd to the Palace of Oz.
The soldier with the green whiskers was still on guard before the door,but he let them in at once, and they were again met by the beautifulgreen girl, who showed each of them to their old rooms at once, so theymight rest until the Great Oz was ready to receive them.
The soldier had the news carried straight to Oz that Dorothy and theother travelers had come back again, after destroying the Wicked Witch;but Oz made no reply. They thought the Great Wizard would send forthem at once, but he did not. They had no word from him the next day,nor the next, nor the next. The waiting was tiresome and wearing, andat last they grew vexed that Oz should treat them in so poor a fashion,after sending them to undergo hardships and slavery. So the Scarecrowat last asked the green girl to take another message to Oz, saying ifhe did not let them in to see him at once they would call the WingedMonkeys to help them, and find out whether he kept his promises or not.When the Wizard was given this message he was so frightened that hesent word for them to come to the Throne Room at four minutes afternine o'clock the next morning. He had once met the Winged Monkeys inthe Land of the West, and he did not wish to meet them again.
The four travelers passed a sleepless night, each thinking of the giftOz had promised to bestow on him. Dorothy fell asleep only once, andthen she dreamed she was in Kansas, where Aunt Em was telling her howglad she was to have her little girl at home again.
Promptly at nine o'clock the next morning the green-whiskered soldiercame to them, and four minutes later they all went into the Throne Roomof the Great Oz.
Of course each one of them expected to see the Wizard in the shape hehad taken before, and all were greatly surprised when they looked aboutand saw no one at all in the room. They kept close to the door andcloser to one another, for the stillness of the empty room was moredreadful than any of the forms they had seen Oz take.
Presently they heard a solemn Voice, that seemed to come from somewherenear the top of the great dome, and it said:
"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Why do you seek me?"
They looked again in every part of the room, and then, seeing no one,Dorothy asked, "Where are you?"
"I am everywhere," answered the Voice, "but to the eyes of commonmortals I am invisible. I will now seat myself upon my throne, thatyou may converse with me." Indeed, the Voice seemed just then to comestraight from the throne itself; so they walked toward it and stood ina row while Dorothy said:
"We have come to claim our promise, O Oz."
"What promise?" asked Oz.
"You promised to send me back to Kansas when the Wicked Witch wasdestroyed," said the girl.
"And you promised to give me brains," said the Scarecrow.
"And you promised to give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"And you promised to give me courage," said the Cowardly Lion.
"Is the Wicked Witch really destroyed?" asked the Voice, and Dorothythought it trembled a little.
"Yes," she answered, "I melted her with a bucket of water."
"Dear me," said the Voice, "how sudden! Well, come to me tomorrow, forI must have time to think it over."
"You've had plenty of time already," said the Tin Woodman angrily.
"We shan't wait a day longer," said the Scarecrow.
"You must keep your promises to us!" exclaimed Dorothy.
The Lion thought it might be as well to frighten the Wizard, so he gavea large, loud roar, which was so fierce and dreadful that Toto jumpedaway from him in alarm and tipped over the screen that stood in acorner. As it fell with a crash they looked that way, and the nextmoment all of them were filled with wonder. For they saw, standing injust the spot the screen had hidden, a little old man, with a bald headand a wrinkled face, who seemed to be as much surprised as they were.The Tin Woodman, raising his axe, rushed toward the little man andcried out, "Who are you?"
"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible," said the little man, in a tremblingvoice. "But don't strike me--please don't--and I'll do anything youwant me to."
Our friends looked at him in surprise and dismay.
"I thought Oz was a great Head," said Dorothy.
"And I thought Oz was a lovely Lady," said the Scarecrow.
"And I thought Oz was a terrible Beast," said the Tin Woodman.
"And I thought Oz was a Ball of Fire," exclaimed the Lion.
"No, you are all wrong," said the little man meekly. "I have beenmaking believe."
"Making believe!" cried Dorothy. "Are you not a Great Wizard?"
"Hush, my dear," he said. "Don't speak so loud, or you will beoverheard--and I should be ruined. I'm supposed to be a Great Wizard."
"And aren't you?" she asked.
"Not a bit of it, my dear; I'm just a common man."
"You're more than that," said the Scarecrow, in a grieved tone; "you'rea humbug."
"Exactly so!" declared the little man, rubbing his hands together as ifit pleased him. "I am a humbug."
"But this is terrible," said the Tin Woodman. "How shall I ever get myheart?"
"Or I my courage?" asked the Lion.
"Or I my brains?" wailed the Scarecrow, wiping the tears from his eyeswith his coat sleeve.
"My dear friends," said Oz, "I pray you not to speak of these littlethings. Think of me, and the terrible trouble I'm in at being foundout."
"Doesn't anyone else know you're a humbug?" asked Dorothy.
"No one knows it but you four--and myself," replied Oz. "I have fooledeveryone so long that I thought I should never be found out. It was agreat mistake my ever letting you into the Throne Room. Usually I willnot see even my subjects, and so they believe I am something terrible."
"But, I don't understand," said Dorothy, in bewilderment. "How was itthat you appeared to me as a great Head?"
"That was one of my tricks," answered Oz. "Step this way, please, andI will tell you all about it."
He led the way to a small chamber in the rear of the Throne Room, andthey all followed him. He pointed to one corner, in which lay thegreat Head, made out of many thicknesses of paper, and with a carefullypainted face.
"This I hung from the ceiling by a wire," said Oz. "I stood behind thescreen and pulled a thread, to make the eyes move and the mouth open."
"But how about the voice?" she inquired.
"Oh, I am a ventriloquist," said the little man. "I can throw thesound of my voice wherever I wish, so that you thought it was comingout of the Head. Here are the other things I used to deceive you." Heshowed the Scarecrow the dress and the mask he had worn when he seemedto be the lovely Lady. And the Tin Woodman saw that his terrible Beastwas nothing but a lot of skins, sewn together, with slats to keep theirsides out. As for the Ball of Fire, the false Wizard had hung thatalso from the ceiling. It was really a ball of cotton, but when oilwas poured upon it the ball burned fiercely.
"Really," said the Scarecrow, "you ought to be ashamed of yourself forbeing such a humbug."
"I am--I certainly am," answered the little man sorrowfully; "but itwas the only thing I could do. Sit down, please, there are plenty ofchairs; and I will tell you my story."
So they sat down and listened while he told the following tale.
"I was born in Omaha--"
"Why, that isn't very far from Kansas!" cried Dorothy.
"No, but it's farther from here," he said, shaking his head at hersadly. "When I grew up I became a ventriloquist, and at that I wasvery well trained by a great master. I can imitate any kind of a birdor beast." Here he mewed so like a kitten that Toto pricked up hisears and looked everywhere to see where she was. "After a time,"continued Oz, "I tired of that, and became a balloonist."
"What is that?" asked Dorothy.
"A man who goes up in a balloon on circus day, so as to draw a crowd ofpeople together and get them to pay to see the circus," he explained.
"Oh," she said, "I know."
"Well, one day I went up in a balloon and the ropes got twisted, sothat I couldn't come down again. It went way up above the clouds, sofar that a current of air struck it and carried it many, many milesaway. For a day and a night I traveled through the air, and on themorning of the second day I awoke and found the balloon floating over astrange and beautiful country.
"It came down gradually, and I was not hurt a bit. But I found myselfin the midst of a strange people, who, seeing me come from the clouds,thought I was a great Wizard. Of course I let them think so, becausethey were afraid of me, and promised to do anything I wished them to.
"Just to amuse myself, and keep the good people busy, I ordered them tobuild this City, and my Palace; and they did it all willingly and well.Then I thought, as the country was so green and beautiful, I would callit the Emerald City; and to make the name fit better I put greenspectacles on all the people, so that everything they saw was green."
"But isn't everything here green?" asked Dorothy.
"No more than in any other city," replied Oz; "but when you wear greenspectacles, why of course everything you see looks green to you. TheEmerald City was built a great many years ago, for I was a young manwhen the balloon brought me here, and I am a very old man now. But mypeople have worn green glasses on their eyes so long that most of themthink it really is an Emerald City, and it certainly is a beautifulplace, abounding in jewels and precious metals, and every good thingthat is needed to make one happy. I have been good to the people, andthey like me; but ever since this Palace was built, I have shut myselfup and would not see any of them.
"One of my greatest fears was the Witches, for while I had no magicalpowers at all I soon found out that the Witches were really able to dowonderful things. There were four of them in this country, and theyruled the people who live in the North and South and East and West.Fortunately, the Witches of the North and South were good, and I knewthey would do me no harm; but the Witches of the East and West wereterribly wicked, and had they not thought I was more powerful than theythemselves, they would surely have destroyed me. As it was, I lived indeadly fear of them for many years; so you can imagine how pleased Iwas when I heard your house had fallen on the Wicked Witch of the East.When you came to me, I was willing to promise anything if you wouldonly do away with the other Witch; but, now that you have melted her, Iam ashamed to say that I cannot keep my promises."
"I think you are a very bad man," said Dorothy.
"Oh, no, my dear; I'm really a very good man, but I'm a very badWizard, I must admit."
"Can't you give me brains?" asked the Scarecrow.
"You don't need them. You are learning something every day. A babyhas brains, but it doesn't know much. Experience is the only thingthat brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the moreexperience you are sure to get."
"That may all be true," said the Scarecrow, "but I shall be veryunhappy unless you give me brains."
The false Wizard looked at him carefully.
"Well," he said with a sigh, "I'm not much of a magician, as I said;but if you will come to me tomorrow morning, I will stuff your headwith brains. I cannot tell you how to use them, however; you must findthat out for yourself."
"Oh, thank you--thank you!" cried the Scarecrow. "I'll find a way touse them, never fear!"
"But how about my courage?" asked the Lion anxiously.
"You have plenty of courage, I am sure," answered Oz. "All you need isconfidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraidwhen it faces danger. The True courage is in facing danger when youare afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty."
"Perhaps I have, but I'm scared just the same," said the Lion. "Ishall really be very unhappy unless you give me the sort of couragethat makes one forget he is afraid."
"Very well, I will give you that sort of courage tomorrow," replied Oz.
"How about my heart?" asked the Tin Woodman.
"Why, as for that," answered Oz, "I think you are wrong to want aheart. It makes most people unhappy. If you only knew it, you are inluck not to have a heart."
"That must be a matter of opinion," said the Tin Woodman. "For mypart, I will bear all the unhappiness without a murmur, if you willgive me the heart."
"Very well," answered Oz meekly. "Come to me tomorrow and you shallhave a heart. I have played Wizard for so many years that I may aswell continue the part a little longer."
"And now," said Dorothy, "how am I to get back to Kansas?"
"We shall have to think about that," replied the little man. "Give metwo or three days to consider the matter and I'll try to find a way tocarry you over the desert. In the meantime you shall all be treated asmy guests, and while you live in the Palace my people will wait uponyou and obey your slightest wish. There is only one thing I ask inreturn for my help--such as it is. You must keep my secret and tell noone I am a humbug."
They agreed to say nothing of what they had learned, and went back totheir rooms in high spirits. Even Dorothy had hope that "The Great andTerrible Humbug," as she called him, would find a way to send her backto Kansas, and if he did she was willing to forgive him everything.
16. The Magic Art of the Great Humbug
Next morning the Scarecrow said to his friends:
"Congratulate me. I am going to Oz to get my brains at last. When Ireturn I shall be as other men are."
"I have always liked you as you were," said Dorothy simply.
"It is kind of you to like a Scarecrow," he replied. "But surely youwill think more of me when you hear the splendid thoughts my new brainis going to turn out." Then he said good-bye to them all in a cheerfulvoice and went to the Throne Room, where he rapped upon the door.
"Come in," said Oz.
The Scarecrow went in and found the little man sitting down by thewindow, engaged in deep thought.
"I have come for my brains," remarked the Scarecrow, a little uneasily.
"Oh, yes; sit down in that chair, please," replied Oz. "You mustexcuse me for taking your head off, but I shall have to do it in orderto put your brains in their proper place."
"That's all right," said the Scarecrow. "You are quite welcome to takemy head off, as long as it will be a better one when you put it onagain."
So the Wizard unfastened his head and emptied out the straw. Then heentered the back room and took up a measure of bran, which he mixedwith a great many pins and needles. Having shaken them togetherthoroughly, he filled the top of the Scarecrow's head with the mixtureand stuffed the rest of the space with straw, to hold it in place.
When he had fastened the Scarecrow's head on his body again he said tohim, "Hereafter you will be a great man, for I have given you a lot ofbran-new brains."
The Scarecrow was both pleased and proud at the fulfillment of hisgreatest wish, and having thanked Oz warmly he went back to his friends.
Dorothy looked at him curiously. His head was quite bulged out at thetop with brains.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"I feel wise indeed," he answered earnestly. "When I get used to mybrains I shall know everything."
"Why are those needles and pins sticking out of your head?" asked theTin Woodman.
"That is proof that he is sharp," remarked the Lion.
"Well, I must go to Oz and get my heart," said the Woodman. So hewalked to the Throne Room and knocked at the door.
"Come in," called Oz, and the Woodman entered and said, "I have comefor my heart."
"Very well," answered the little man. "But I shall have to cut a holein your breast, so I can put your heart in the right place. I hope itwon't hurt you."
"Oh, no," answered the Woodman. "I shall not feel it at all."
So Oz brought a pair of tinsmith's shears and cut a small, square holein the left side of the Tin Woodman's breast. Then, going to a chestof drawers, he took out a pretty heart, made entirely of silk andstuffed with sawdust.
"Isn't it a beauty?" he asked.
"It is, indeed!" replied the Woodman, who was greatly pleased. "But isit a kind heart?"
"Oh, very!" answered Oz. He put the heart in the Woodman's breast andthen replaced the square of tin, soldering it neatly together where ithad been cut.
"There," said he; "now you have a heart that any man might be proud of.I'm sorry I had to put a patch on your breast, but it really couldn'tbe helped."
"Never mind the patch," exclaimed the happy Woodman. "I am verygrateful to you, and shall never forget your kindness."
"Don't speak of it," replied Oz.
Then the Tin Woodman went back to his friends, who wished him every joyon account of his good fortune.
The Lion now walked to the Throne Room and knocked at the door.
"Come in," said Oz.
"I have come for my courage," announced the Lion, entering the room.
"Very well," answered the little man; "I will get it for you."
He went to a cupboard and reaching up to a high shelf took down asquare green bottle, the contents of which he poured into a green-golddish, beautifully carved. Placing this before the Cowardly Lion, whosniffed at it as if he did not like it, the Wizard said:
"Drink."
"What is it?" asked the Lion.
"Well," answered Oz, "if it were inside of you, it would be courage.You know, of course, that courage is always inside one; so that thisreally cannot be called courage until you have swallowed it. ThereforeI advise you to drink it as soon as possible."
The Lion hesitated no longer, but drank till the dish was empty.
"How do you feel now?" asked Oz.
"Full of courage," replied the Lion, who went joyfully back to hisfriends to tell them of his good fortune.
Oz, left to himself, smiled to think of his success in giving theScarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion exactly what they thoughtthey wanted. "How can I help being a humbug," he said, "when all thesepeople make me do things that everybody knows can't be done? It waseasy to make the Scarecrow and the Lion and the Woodman happy, becausethey imagined I could do anything. But it will take more thanimagination to carry Dorothy back to Kansas, and I'm sure I don't knowhow it can be done."
17. How the Balloon Was Launched
For three days Dorothy heard nothing from Oz. These were sad days forthe little girl, although her friends were all quite happy andcontented. The Scarecrow told them there were wonderful thoughts inhis head; but he would not say what they were because he knew no onecould understand them but himself. When the Tin Woodman walked abouthe felt his heart rattling around in his breast; and he told Dorothy hehad discovered it to be a kinder and more tender heart than the one hehad owned when he was made of flesh. The Lion declared he was afraidof nothing on earth, and would gladly face an army or a dozen of thefierce Kalidahs.
Thus each of the little party was satisfied except Dorothy, who longedmore than ever to get back to Kansas.
On the fourth day, to her great joy, Oz sent for her, and when sheentered the Throne Room he greeted her pleasantly:
"Sit down, my dear; I think I have found the way to get you out of thiscountry."
"And back to Kansas?" she asked eagerly.
"Well, I'm not sure about Kansas," said Oz, "for I haven't the faintestnotion which way it lies. But the first thing to do is to cross thedesert, and then it should be easy to find your way home."
"How can I cross the desert?" she inquired.
"Well, I'll tell you what I think," said the little man. "You see,when I came to this country it was in a balloon. You also came throughthe air, being carried by a cyclone. So I believe the best way to getacross the desert will be through the air. Now, it is quite beyond mypowers to make a cyclone; but I've been thinking the matter over, and Ibelieve I can make a balloon."
"How?" asked Dorothy.
"A balloon," said Oz, "is made of silk, which is coated with glue tokeep the gas in it. I have plenty of silk in the Palace, so it will beno trouble to make the balloon. But in all this country there is nogas to fill the balloon with, to make it float."
"If it won't float," remarked Dorothy, "it will be of no use to us."
"True," answered Oz. "But there is another way to make it float, whichis to fill it with hot air. Hot air isn't as good as gas, for if theair should get cold the balloon would come down in the desert, and weshould be lost."
"We!" exclaimed the girl. "Are you going with me?"
"Yes, of course," replied Oz. "I am tired of being such a humbug. IfI should go out of this Palace my people would soon discover I am not aWizard, and then they would be vexed with me for having deceived them.So I have to stay shut up in these rooms all day, and it gets tiresome.I'd much rather go back to Kansas with you and be in a circus again."
"I shall be glad to have your company," said Dorothy.
"Thank you," he answered. "Now, if you will help me sew the silktogether, we will begin to work on our balloon."
So Dorothy took a needle and thread, and as fast as Oz cut the stripsof silk into proper shape the girl sewed them neatly together. Firstthere was a strip of light green silk, then a strip of dark green andthen a strip of emerald green; for Oz had a fancy to make the balloonin different shades of the color about them. It took three days to sewall the strips together, but when it was finished they had a big bag ofgreen silk more than twenty feet long.
Then Oz painted it on the inside with a coat of thin glue, to make itairtight, after which he announced that the balloon was ready.
"But we must have a basket to ride in," he said. So he sent thesoldier with the green whiskers for a big clothes basket, which hefastened with many ropes to the bottom of the balloon.
When it was all ready, Oz sent word to his people that he was going tomake a visit to a great brother Wizard who lived in the clouds. Thenews spread rapidly throughout the city and everyone came to see thewonderful sight.
Oz ordered the balloon carried out in front of the Palace, and thepeople gazed upon it with much curiosity. The Tin Woodman had choppeda big pile of wood, and now he made a fire of it, and Oz held thebottom of the balloon over the fire so that the hot air that arose fromit would be caught in the silken bag. Gradually the balloon swelledout and rose into the air, until finally the basket just touched theground.
Then Oz got into the basket and said to all the people in a loud voice:
"I am now going away to make a visit. While I am gone the Scarecrowwill rule over you. I command you to obey him as you would me."
The balloon was by this time tugging hard at the rope that held it tothe ground, for the air within it was hot, and this made it so muchlighter in weight than the air without that it pulled hard to rise intothe sky.
"Come, Dorothy!" cried the Wizard. "Hurry up, or the balloon will flyaway."
"I can't find Toto anywhere," replied Dorothy, who did not wish toleave her little dog behind. Toto had run into the crowd to bark at akitten, and Dorothy at last found him. She picked him up and rantowards the balloon.
She was within a few steps of it, and Oz was holding out his hands tohelp her into the basket, when, crack! went the ropes, and the balloonrose into the air without her.
"Come back!" she screamed. "I want to go, too!"
"I can't come back, my dear," called Oz from the basket. "Good-bye!"
"Good-bye!" shouted everyone, and all eyes were turned upward to wherethe Wizard was riding in the basket, rising every moment farther andfarther into the sky.
And that was the last any of them ever saw of Oz, the Wonderful Wizard,though he may have reached Omaha safely, and be there now, for all weknow. But the people remembered him lovingly, and said to one another:
"Oz was always our friend. When he was here he built for us thisbeautiful Emerald City, and now he is gone he has left the WiseScarecrow to rule over us."
Still, for many days they grieved over the loss of the WonderfulWizard, and would not be comforted.
18. Away to the South
Dorothy wept bitterly at the passing of her hope to get home to Kansasagain; but when she thought it all over she was glad she had not goneup in a balloon. And she also felt sorry at losing Oz, and so did hercompanions.
The Tin Woodman came to her and said:
"Truly I should be ungrateful if I failed to mourn for the man who gaveme my lovely heart. I should like to cry a little because Oz is gone,if you will kindly wipe away my tears, so that I shall not rust."
"With pleasure," she answered, and brought a towel at once. Then theTin Woodman wept for several minutes, and she watched the tearscarefully and wiped them away with the towel. When he had finished, hethanked her kindly and oiled himself thoroughly with his jeweledoil-can, to guard against mishap.
The Scarecrow was now the ruler of the Emerald City, and although hewas not a Wizard the people were proud of him. "For," they said,"there is not another city in all the world that is ruled by a stuffedman." And, so far as they knew, they were quite right.
The morning after the balloon had gone up with Oz, the four travelersmet in the Throne Room and talked matters over. The Scarecrow sat inthe big throne and the others stood respectfully before him.
"We are not so unlucky," said the new ruler, "for this Palace and theEmerald City belong to us, and we can do just as we please. When Iremember that a short time ago I was up on a pole in a farmer'scornfield, and that now I am the ruler of this beautiful City, I amquite satisfied with my lot."
"I also," said the Tin Woodman, "am well-pleased with my new heart;and, really, that was the only thing I wished in all the world."
"For my part, I am content in knowing I am as brave as any beast thatever lived, if not braver," said the Lion modestly.
"If Dorothy would only be contented to live in the Emerald City,"continued the Scarecrow, "we might all be happy together."
"But I don't want to live here," cried Dorothy. "I want to go toKansas, and live with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry."
"Well, then, what can be done?" inquired the Woodman.
The Scarecrow decided to think, and he thought so hard that the pinsand needles began to stick out of his brains. Finally he said:
"Why not call the Winged Monkeys, and ask them to carry you over thedesert?"
"I never thought of that!" said Dorothy joyfully. "It's just thething. I'll go at once for the Golden Cap."
When she brought it into the Throne Room she spoke the magic words, andsoon the band of Winged Monkeys flew in through the open window andstood beside her.
"This is the second time you have called us," said the Monkey King,bowing before the little girl. "What do you wish?"
"I want you to fly with me to Kansas," said Dorothy.
But the Monkey King shook his head.
"That cannot be done," he said. "We belong to this country alone, andcannot leave it. There has never been a Winged Monkey in Kansas yet,and I suppose there never will be, for they don't belong there. Weshall be glad to serve you in any way in our power, but we cannot crossthe desert. Good-bye."
And with another bow, the Monkey King spread his wings and flew awaythrough the window, followed by all his band.
Dorothy was ready to cry with disappointment. "I have wasted the charmof the Golden Cap to no purpose," she said, "for the Winged Monkeyscannot help me."
"It is certainly too bad!" said the tender-hearted Woodman.
The Scarecrow was thinking again, and his head bulged out so horriblythat Dorothy feared it would burst.
"Let us call in the soldier with the green whiskers," he said, "and askhis advice."
So the soldier was summoned and entered the Throne Room timidly, forwhile Oz was alive he never was allowed to come farther than the door.
"This little girl," said the Scarecrow to the soldier, "wishes to crossthe desert. How can she do so?"
"I cannot tell," answered the soldier, "for nobody has ever crossed thedesert, unless it is Oz himself."
"Is there no one who can help me?" asked Dorothy earnestly.
"Glinda might," he suggested.
"Who is Glinda?" inquired the Scarecrow.
"The Witch of the South. She is the most powerful of all the Witches,and rules over the Quadlings. Besides, her castle stands on the edgeof the desert, so she may know a way to cross it."
"Glinda is a Good Witch, isn't she?" asked the child.
"The Quadlings think she is good," said the soldier, "and she is kindto everyone. I have heard that Glinda is a beautiful woman, who knowshow to keep young in spite of the many years she has lived."
"How can I get to her castle?" asked Dorothy.
"The road is straight to the South," he answered, "but it is said to befull of dangers to travelers. There are wild beasts in the woods, anda race of queer men who do not like strangers to cross their country.For this reason none of the Quadlings ever come to the Emerald City."
The soldier then left them and the Scarecrow said:
"It seems, in spite of dangers, that the best thing Dorothy can do isto travel to the Land of the South and ask Glinda to help her. For, ofcourse, if Dorothy stays here she will never get back to Kansas."
"You must have been thinking again," remarked the Tin Woodman.
"I have," said the Scarecrow.
"I shall go with Dorothy," declared the Lion, "for I am tired of yourcity and long for the woods and the country again. I am really a wildbeast, you know. Besides, Dorothy will need someone to protect her."
"That is true," agreed the Woodman. "My axe may be of service to her;so I also will go with her to the Land of the South."
"When shall we start?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Are you going?" they asked, in surprise.
"Certainly. If it wasn't for Dorothy I should never have had brains.She lifted me from the pole in the cornfield and brought me to theEmerald City. So my good luck is all due to her, and I shall neverleave her until she starts back to Kansas for good and all."
"Thank you," said Dorothy gratefully. "You are all very kind to me.But I should like to start as soon as possible."
"We shall go tomorrow morning," returned the Scarecrow. "So now let usall get ready, for it will be a long journey."
19. Attacked by the Fighting Trees
The next morning Dorothy kissed the pretty green girl good-bye, andthey all shook hands with the soldier with the green whiskers, who hadwalked with them as far as the gate. When the Guardian of the Gate sawthem again he wondered greatly that they could leave the beautiful Cityto get into new trouble. But he at once unlocked their spectacles,which he put back into the green box, and gave them many good wishes tocarry with them.
"You are now our ruler," he said to the Scarecrow; "so you must comeback to us as soon as possible."
"I certainly shall if I am able," the Scarecrow replied; "but I musthelp Dorothy to get home, first."
As Dorothy bade the good-natured Guardian a last farewell she said:
"I have been very kindly treated in your lovely City, and everyone hasbeen good to me. I cannot tell you how grateful I am."
"Don't try, my dear," he answered. "We should like to keep you withus, but if it is your wish to return to Kansas, I hope you will find away." He then opened the gate of the outer wall, and they walked forthand started upon their journey.
The sun shone brightly as our friends turned their faces toward theLand of the South. They were all in the best of spirits, and laughedand chatted together. Dorothy was once more filled with the hope ofgetting home, and the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were glad to be ofuse to her. As for the Lion, he sniffed the fresh air with delight andwhisked his tail from side to side in pure joy at being in the countryagain, while Toto ran around them and chased the moths and butterflies,barking merrily all the time.
"City life does not agree with me at all," remarked the Lion, as theywalked along at a brisk pace. "I have lost much flesh since I livedthere, and now I am anxious for a chance to show the other beasts howcourageous I have grown."
They now turned and took a last look at the Emerald City. All theycould see was a mass of towers and steeples behind the green walls, andhigh up above everything the spires and dome of the Palace of Oz.
"Oz was not such a bad Wizard, after all," said the Tin Woodman, as hefelt his heart rattling around in his breast.
"He knew how to give me brains, and very good brains, too," said theScarecrow.
"If Oz had taken a dose of the same courage he gave me," added theLion, "he would have been a brave man."
Dorothy said nothing. Oz had not kept the promise he made her, but hehad done his best, so she forgave him. As he said, he was a good man,even if he was a bad Wizard.
The first day's journey was through the green fields and bright flowersthat stretched about the Emerald City on every side. They slept thatnight on the grass, with nothing but the stars over them; and theyrested very well indeed.
In the morning they traveled on until they came to a thick wood. Therewas no way of going around it, for it seemed to extend to the right andleft as far as they could see; and, besides, they did not dare changethe direction of their journey for fear of getting lost. So theylooked for the place where it would be easiest to get into the forest.
The Scarecrow, who was in the lead, finally discovered a big tree withsuch wide-spreading branches that there was room for the party to passunderneath. So he walked forward to the tree, but just as he cameunder the first branches they bent down and twined around him, and thenext minute he was raised from the ground and flung headlong among hisfellow travelers.
This did not hurt the Scarecrow, but it surprised him, and he lookedrather dizzy when Dorothy picked him up.
"Here is another space between the trees," called the Lion.
"Let me try it first," said the Scarecrow, "for it doesn't hurt me toget thrown about." He walked up to another tree, as he spoke, but itsbranches immediately seized him and tossed him back again.
"This is strange," exclaimed Dorothy. "What shall we do?"
"The trees seem to have made up their minds to fight us, and stop ourjourney," remarked the Lion.
"I believe I will try it myself," said the Woodman, and shouldering hisaxe, he marched up to the first tree that had handled the Scarecrow soroughly. When a big branch bent down to seize him the Woodman choppedat it so fiercely that he cut it in two. At once the tree beganshaking all its branches as if in pain, and the Tin Woodman passedsafely under it.
"Come on!" he shouted to the others. "Be quick!" They all ran forwardand passed under the tree without injury, except Toto, who was caughtby a small branch and shaken until he howled. But the Woodman promptlychopped off the branch and set the little dog free.
The other trees of the forest did nothing to keep them back, so theymade up their minds that only the first row of trees could bend downtheir branches, and that probably these were the policemen of theforest, and given this wonderful power in order to keep strangers outof it.
The four travelers walked with ease through the trees until they cameto the farther edge of the wood. Then, to their surprise, they foundbefore them a high wall which seemed to be made of white china. It wassmooth, like the surface of a dish, and higher than their heads.
"What shall we do now?" asked Dorothy.
"I will make a ladder," said the Tin Woodman, "for we certainly mustclimb over the wall."
20. The Dainty China Country
While the Woodman was making a ladder from wood which he found in theforest Dorothy lay down and slept, for she was tired by the long walk.The Lion also curled himself up to sleep and Toto lay beside him.
The Scarecrow watched the Woodman while he worked, and said to him:
"I cannot think why this wall is here, nor what it is made of."
"Rest your brains and do not worry about the wall," replied theWoodman. "When we have climbed over it, we shall know what is on theother side."
After a time the ladder was finished. It looked clumsy, but the TinWoodman was sure it was strong and would answer their purpose. TheScarecrow waked Dorothy and the Lion and Toto, and told them that theladder was ready. The Scarecrow climbed up the ladder first, but hewas so awkward that Dorothy had to follow close behind and keep himfrom falling off. When he got his head over the top of the wall theScarecrow said, "Oh, my!"
"Go on," exclaimed Dorothy.
So the Scarecrow climbed farther up and sat down on the top of thewall, and Dorothy put her head over and cried, "Oh, my!" just as theScarecrow had done.
Then Toto came up, and immediately began to bark, but Dorothy made himbe still.
The Lion climbed the ladder next, and the Tin Woodman came last; butboth of them cried, "Oh, my!" as soon as they looked over the wall.When they were all sitting in a row on the top of the wall, they lookeddown and saw a strange sight.
Before them was a great stretch of country having a floor as smooth andshining and white as the bottom of a big platter. Scattered aroundwere many houses made entirely of china and painted in the brightestcolors. These houses were quite small, the biggest of them reachingonly as high as Dorothy's waist. There were also pretty little barns,with china fences around them; and many cows and sheep and horses andpigs and chickens, all made of china, were standing about in groups.
But the strangest of all were the people who lived in this queercountry. There were milkmaids and shepherdesses, with brightly coloredbodices and golden spots all over their gowns; and princesses with mostgorgeous frocks of silver and gold and purple; and shepherds dressed inknee breeches with pink and yellow and blue stripes down them, andgolden buckles on their shoes; and princes with jeweled crowns upontheir heads, wearing ermine robes and satin doublets; and funny clownsin ruffled gowns, with round red spots upon their cheeks and tall,pointed caps. And, strangest of all, these people were all made ofchina, even to their clothes, and were so small that the tallest ofthem was no higher than Dorothy's knee.
No one did so much as look at the travelers at first, except one littlepurple china dog with an extra-large head, which came to the wall andbarked at them in a tiny voice, afterwards running away again.
"How shall we get down?" asked Dorothy.
They found the ladder so heavy they could not pull it up, so theScarecrow fell off the wall and the others jumped down upon him so thatthe hard floor would not hurt their feet. Of course they took painsnot to light on his head and get the pins in their feet. When all weresafely down they picked up the Scarecrow, whose body was quiteflattened out, and patted his straw into shape again.
"We must cross this strange place in order to get to the other side,"said Dorothy, "for it would be unwise for us to go any other way exceptdue South."
They began walking through the country of the china people, and thefirst thing they came to was a china milkmaid milking a china cow. Asthey drew near, the cow suddenly gave a kick and kicked over the stool,the pail, and even the milkmaid herself, and all fell on the chinaground with a great clatter.
Dorothy was shocked to see that the cow had broken her leg off, andthat the pail was lying in several small pieces, while the poormilkmaid had a nick in her left elbow.
"There!" cried the milkmaid angrily. "See what you have done! My cowhas broken her leg, and I must take her to the mender's shop and haveit glued on again. What do you mean by coming here and frightening mycow?"
"I'm very sorry," returned Dorothy. "Please forgive us."
But the pretty milkmaid was much too vexed to make any answer. Shepicked up the leg sulkily and led her cow away, the poor animal limpingon three legs. As she left them the milkmaid cast many reproachfulglances over her shoulder at the clumsy strangers, holding her nickedelbow close to her side.
Dorothy was quite grieved at this mishap.
"We must be very careful here," said the kind-hearted Woodman, "or wemay hurt these pretty little people so they will never get over it."
A little farther on Dorothy met a most beautifully dressed youngPrincess, who stopped short as she saw the strangers and started to runaway.
Dorothy wanted to see more of the Princess, so she ran after her. Butthe china girl cried out:
"Don't chase me! Don't chase me!"
She had such a frightened little voice that Dorothy stopped and said,"Why not?"
"Because," answered the Princess, also stopping, a safe distance away,"if I run I may fall down and break myself."
"But could you not be mended?" asked the girl.
"Oh, yes; but one is never so pretty after being mended, you know,"replied the Princess.
"I suppose not," said Dorothy.
"Now there is Mr. Joker, one of our clowns," continued the china lady,"who is always trying to stand upon his head. He has broken himself sooften that he is mended in a hundred places, and doesn't look at allpretty. Here he comes now, so you can see for yourself."
Indeed, a jolly little clown came walking toward them, and Dorothycould see that in spite of his pretty clothes of red and yellow andgreen he was completely covered with cracks, running every which wayand showing plainly that he had been mended in many places.
The Clown put his hands in his pockets, and after puffing out hischeeks and nodding his head at them saucily, he said:
"My lady fair, Why do you stare At poor old Mr. Joker? You're quite as stiff And prim as if You'd eaten up a poker!"
"Be quiet, sir!" said the Princess. "Can't you see these arestrangers, and should be treated with respect?"
"Well, that's respect, I expect," declared the Clown, and immediatelystood upon his head.
"Don't mind Mr. Joker," said the Princess to Dorothy. "He isconsiderably cracked in his head, and that makes him foolish."
"Oh, I don't mind him a bit," said Dorothy. "But you are sobeautiful," she continued, "that I am sure I could love you dearly.Won't you let me carry you back to Kansas, and stand you on Aunt Em'smantel? I could carry you in my basket."
"That would make me very unhappy," answered the china Princess. "Yousee, here in our country we live contentedly, and can talk and movearound as we please. But whenever any of us are taken away our jointsat once stiffen, and we can only stand straight and look pretty. Ofcourse that is all that is expected of us when we are on mantels andcabinets and drawing-room tables, but our lives are much pleasanterhere in our own country."
"I would not make you unhappy for all the world!" exclaimed Dorothy."So I'll just say good-bye."
"Good-bye," replied the Princess.
They walked carefully through the china country. The little animalsand all the people scampered out of their way, fearing the strangerswould break them, and after an hour or so the travelers reached theother side of the country and came to another china wall.
It was not so high as the first, however, and by standing upon theLion's back they all managed to scramble to the top. Then the Liongathered his legs under him and jumped on the wall; but just as hejumped, he upset a china church with his tail and smashed it all topieces.
"That was too bad," said Dorothy, "but really I think we were lucky innot doing these little people more harm than breaking a cow's leg and achurch. They are all so brittle!"
"They are, indeed," said the Scarecrow, "and I am thankful I am made ofstraw and cannot be easily damaged. There are worse things in theworld than being a Scarecrow."
21. The Lion Becomes the King of Beasts
After climbing down from the china wall the travelers found themselvesin a disagreeable country, full of bogs and marshes and covered withtall, rank grass. It was difficult to walk without falling into muddyholes, for the grass was so thick that it hid them from sight.However, by carefully picking their way, they got safely along untilthey reached solid ground. But here the country seemed wilder thanever, and after a long and tiresome walk through the underbrush theyentered another forest, where the trees were bigger and older than anythey had ever seen.
"This forest is perfectly delightful," declared the Lion, lookingaround him with joy. "Never have I seen a more beautiful place."
"It seems gloomy," said the Scarecrow.
"Not a bit of it," answered the Lion. "I should like to live here allmy life. See how soft the dried leaves are under your feet and howrich and green the moss is that clings to these old trees. Surely nowild beast could wish a pleasanter home."
"Perhaps there are wild beasts in the forest now," said Dorothy.
"I suppose there are," returned the Lion, "but I do not see any of themabout."
They walked through the forest until it became too dark to go anyfarther. Dorothy and Toto and the Lion lay down to sleep, while theWoodman and the Scarecrow kept watch over them as usual.
When morning came, they started again. Before they had gone far theyheard a low rumble, as of the growling of many wild animals. Totowhimpered a little, but none of the others was frightened, and theykept along the well-trodden path until they came to an opening in thewood, in which were gathered hundreds of beasts of every variety.There were tigers and elephants and bears and wolves and foxes and allthe others in the natural history, and for a moment Dorothy was afraid.But the Lion explained that the animals were holding a meeting, and hejudged by their snarling and growling that they were in great trouble.
As he spoke several of the beasts caught sight of him, and at once thegreat assemblage hushed as if by magic. The biggest of the tigers cameup to the Lion and bowed, saying:
"Welcome, O King of Beasts! You have come in good time to fight ourenemy and bring peace to all the animals of the forest once more."
"What is your trouble?" asked the Lion quietly.
"We are all threatened," answered the tiger, "by a fierce enemy whichhas lately come into this forest. It is a most tremendous monster,like a great spider, with a body as big as an elephant and legs as longas a tree trunk. It has eight of these long legs, and as the monstercrawls through the forest he seizes an animal with a leg and drags itto his mouth, where he eats it as a spider does a fly. Not one of usis safe while this fierce creature is alive, and we had called ameeting to decide how to take care of ourselves when you came among us."
The Lion thought for a moment.
"Are there any other lions in this forest?" he asked.
"No; there were some, but the monster has eaten them all. And,besides, they were none of them nearly so large and brave as you."
"If I put an end to your enemy, will you bow down to me and obey me asKing of the Forest?" inquired the Lion.
"We will do that gladly," returned the tiger; and all the other beastsroared with a mighty roar: "We will!"
"Where is this great spider of yours now?" asked the Lion.
"Yonder, among the oak trees," said the tiger, pointing with hisforefoot.
"Take good care of these friends of mine," said the Lion, "and I willgo at once to fight the monster."
He bade his comrades good-bye and marched proudly away to do battlewith the enemy.
The great spider was lying asleep when the Lion found him, and itlooked so ugly that its foe turned up his nose in disgust. Its legswere quite as long as the tiger had said, and its body covered withcoarse black hair. It had a great mouth, with a row of sharp teeth afoot long; but its head was joined to the pudgy body by a neck asslender as a wasp's waist. This gave the Lion a hint of the best wayto attack the creature, and as he knew it was easier to fight it asleepthan awake, he gave a great spring and landed directly upon themonster's back. Then, with one blow of his heavy paw, all armed withsharp claws, he knocked the spider's head from its body. Jumping down,he watched it until the long legs stopped wiggling, when he knew it wasquite dead.
The Lion went back to the opening where the beasts of the forest werewaiting for him and said proudly:
"You need fear your enemy no longer."
Then the beasts bowed down to the Lion as their King, and he promisedto come back and rule over them as soon as Dorothy was safely on herway to Kansas.
22. The Country of the Quadlings
The four travelers passed through the rest of the forest in safety, andwhen they came out from its gloom saw before them a steep hill, coveredfrom top to bottom with great pieces of rock.
"That will be a hard climb," said the Scarecrow, "but we must get overthe hill, nevertheless."
So he led the way and the others followed. They had nearly reached thefirst rock when they heard a rough voice cry out, "Keep back!"
"Who are you?" asked the Scarecrow.
Then a head showed itself over the rock and the same voice said, "Thishill belongs to us, and we don't allow anyone to cross it."
"But we must cross it," said the Scarecrow. "We're going to thecountry of the Quadlings."
"But you shall not!" replied the voice, and there stepped from behindthe rock the strangest man the travelers had ever seen.
He was quite short and stout and had a big head, which was flat at thetop and supported by a thick neck full of wrinkles. But he had no armsat all, and, seeing this, the Scarecrow did not fear that so helpless acreature could prevent them from climbing the hill. So he said, "I'msorry not to do as you wish, but we must pass over your hill whetheryou like it or not," and he walked boldly forward.
As quick as lightning the man's head shot forward and his neckstretched out until the top of the head, where it was flat, struck theScarecrow in the middle and sent him tumbling, over and over, down thehill. Almost as quickly as it came the head went back to the body, andthe man laughed harshly as he said, "It isn't as easy as you think!"
A chorus of boisterous laughter came from the other rocks, and Dorothysaw hundreds of the armless Hammer-Heads upon the hillside, one behindevery rock.
The Lion became quite angry at the laughter caused by the Scarecrow'smishap, and giving a loud roar that echoed like thunder, he dashed upthe hill.
Again a head shot swiftly out, and the great Lion went rolling down thehill as if he had been struck by a cannon ball.
Dorothy ran down and helped the Scarecrow to his feet, and the Lioncame up to her, feeling rather bruised and sore, and said, "It isuseless to fight people with shooting heads; no one can withstand them."
"What can we do, then?" she asked.
"Call the Winged Monkeys," suggested the Tin Woodman. "You have stillthe right to command them once more."
"Very well," she answered, and putting on the Golden Cap she utteredthe magic words. The Monkeys were as prompt as ever, and in a fewmoments the entire band stood before her.
"What are your commands?" inquired the King of the Monkeys, bowing low.
"Carry us over the hill to the country of the Quadlings," answered thegirl.
"It shall be done," said the King, and at once the Winged Monkeyscaught the four travelers and Toto up in their arms and flew away withthem. As they passed over the hill the Hammer-Heads yelled withvexation, and shot their heads high in the air, but they could notreach the Winged Monkeys, which carried Dorothy and her comrades safelyover the hill and set them down in the beautiful country of theQuadlings.
"This is the last time you can summon us," said the leader to Dorothy;"so good-bye and good luck to you."
"Good-bye, and thank you very much," returned the girl; and the Monkeysrose into the air and were out of sight in a twinkling.
The country of the Quadlings seemed rich and happy. There was fieldupon field of ripening grain, with well-paved roads running between,and pretty rippling brooks with strong bridges across them. The fencesand houses and bridges were all painted bright red, just as they hadbeen painted yellow in the country of the Winkies and blue in thecountry of the Munchkins. The Quadlings themselves, who were short andfat and looked chubby and good-natured, were dressed all in red, whichshowed bright against the green grass and the yellowing grain.
The Monkeys had set them down near a farmhouse, and the four travelerswalked up to it and knocked at the door. It was opened by the farmer'swife, and when Dorothy asked for something to eat the woman gave themall a good dinner, with three kinds of cake and four kinds of cookies,and a bowl of milk for Toto.
"How far is it to the Castle of Glinda?" asked the child.
"It is not a great way," answered the farmer's wife. "Take the road tothe South and you will soon reach it."
Thanking the good woman, they started afresh and walked by the fieldsand across the pretty bridges until they saw before them a verybeautiful Castle. Before the gates were three young girls, dressed inhandsome red uniforms trimmed with gold braid; and as Dorothyapproached, one of them said to her:
"Why have you come to the South Country?"
"To see the Good Witch who rules here," she answered. "Will you takeme to her?"
"Let me have your name, and I will ask Glinda if she will receive you."They told who they were, and the girl soldier went into the Castle.After a few moments she came back to say that Dorothy and the otherswere to be admitted at once.
23. Glinda The Good Witch Grants Dorothy's Wish
Before they went to see Glinda, however, they were taken to a room ofthe Castle, where Dorothy washed her face and combed her hair, and theLion shook the dust out of his mane, and the Scarecrow patted himselfinto his best shape, and the Woodman polished his tin and oiled hisjoints.
When they were all quite presentable they followed the soldier girlinto a big room where the Witch Glinda sat upon a throne of rubies.
She was both beautiful and young to their eyes. Her hair was a richred in color and fell in flowing ringlets over her shoulders. Herdress was pure white but her eyes were blue, and they looked kindlyupon the little girl.
"What can I do for you, my child?" she asked.
Dorothy told the Witch all her story: how the cyclone had brought herto the Land of Oz, how she had found her companions, and of thewonderful adventures they had met with.
"My greatest wish now," she added, "is to get back to Kansas, for AuntEm will surely think something dreadful has happened to me, and thatwill make her put on mourning; and unless the crops are better thisyear than they were last, I am sure Uncle Henry cannot afford it."
Glinda leaned forward and kissed the sweet, upturned face of the lovinglittle girl.
"Bless your dear heart," she said, "I am sure I can tell you of a wayto get back to Kansas." Then she added, "But, if I do, you must giveme the Golden Cap."
"Willingly!" exclaimed Dorothy; "indeed, it is of no use to me now, andwhen you have it you can command the Winged Monkeys three times."
"And I think I shall need their service just those three times,"answered Glinda, smiling.
Dorothy then gave her the Golden Cap, and the Witch said to theScarecrow, "What will you do when Dorothy has left us?"
"I will return to the Emerald City," he replied, "for Oz has made meits ruler and the people like me. The only thing that worries me ishow to cross the hill of the Hammer-Heads."
"By means of the Golden Cap I shall command the Winged Monkeys to carryyou to the gates of the Emerald City," said Glinda, "for it would be ashame to deprive the people of so wonderful a ruler."
"Am I really wonderful?" asked the Scarecrow.
"You are unusual," replied Glinda.
Turning to the Tin Woodman, she asked, "What will become of you whenDorothy leaves this country?"
He leaned on his axe and thought a moment. Then he said, "The Winkieswere very kind to me, and wanted me to rule over them after the WickedWitch died. I am fond of the Winkies, and if I could get back again tothe Country of the West, I should like nothing better than to rule overthem forever."
"My second command to the Winged Monkeys," said Glinda "will be thatthey carry you safely to the land of the Winkies. Your brain may notbe so large to look at as those of the Scarecrow, but you are reallybrighter than he is--when you are well polished--and I am sure you willrule the Winkies wisely and well."
Then the Witch looked at the big, shaggy Lion and asked, "When Dorothyhas returned to her own home, what will become of you?"
"Over the hill of the Hammer-Heads," he answered, "lies a grand oldforest, and all the beasts that live there have made me their King. IfI could only get back to this forest, I would pass my life very happilythere."
"My third command to the Winged Monkeys," said Glinda, "shall be tocarry you to your forest. Then, having used up the powers of theGolden Cap, I shall give it to the King of the Monkeys, that he and hisband may thereafter be free for evermore."
The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion now thanked the GoodWitch earnestly for her kindness; and Dorothy exclaimed:
"You are certainly as good as you are beautiful! But you have not yettold me how to get back to Kansas."
"Your Silver Shoes will carry you over the desert," replied Glinda."If you had known their power you could have gone back to your Aunt Emthe very first day you came to this country."
"But then I should not have had my wonderful brains!" cried theScarecrow. "I might have passed my whole life in the farmer'scornfield."
"And I should not have had my lovely heart," said the Tin Woodman. "Imight have stood and rusted in the forest till the end of the world."
"And I should have lived a coward forever," declared the Lion, "and nobeast in all the forest would have had a good word to say to me."
"This is all true," said Dorothy, "and I am glad I was of use to thesegood friends. But now that each of them has had what he most desired,and each is happy in having a kingdom to rule besides, I think I shouldlike to go back to Kansas."
"The Silver Shoes," said the Good Witch, "have wonderful powers. Andone of the most curious things about them is that they can carry you toany place in the world in three steps, and each step will be made inthe wink of an eye. All you have to do is to knock the heels togetherthree times and command the shoes to carry you wherever you wish to go."
"If that is so," said the child joyfully, "I will ask them to carry meback to Kansas at once."
She threw her arms around the Lion's neck and kissed him, patting hisbig head tenderly. Then she kissed the Tin Woodman, who was weeping ina way most dangerous to his joints. But she hugged the soft, stuffedbody of the Scarecrow in her arms instead of kissing his painted face,and found she was crying herself at this sorrowful parting from herloving comrades.
Glinda the Good stepped down from her ruby throne to give the littlegirl a good-bye kiss, and Dorothy thanked her for all the kindness shehad shown to her friends and herself.
Dorothy now took Toto up solemnly in her arms, and having said one lastgood-bye she clapped the heels of her shoes together three times,saying:
"Take me home to Aunt Em!"
Instantly she was whirling through the air, so swiftly that all shecould see or feel was the wind whistling past her ears.
The Silver Shoes took but three steps, and then she stopped so suddenlythat she rolled over upon the grass several times before she knew whereshe was.
At length, however, she sat up and looked about her.
"Good gracious!" she cried.
For she was sitting on the broad Kansas prairie, and just before herwas the new farmhouse Uncle Henry built after the cyclone had carriedaway the old one. Uncle Henry was milking the cows in the barnyard,and Toto had jumped out of her arms and was running toward the barn,barking furiously.
Dorothy stood up and found she was in her stocking-feet. For theSilver Shoes had fallen off in her flight through the air, and werelost forever in the desert.
24. Home Again
Aunt Em had just come out of the house to water the cabbages when shelooked up and saw Dorothy running toward her.
"My darling child!" she cried, folding the little girl in her arms andcovering her face with kisses. "Where in the world did you come from?"
"From the Land of Oz," said Dorothy gravely. "And here is Toto, too.And oh, Aunt Em! I'm so glad to be at home again!"