The wonderful wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum (read online)

13. The Rescue

The Cowardly Lion was much pleased to hear that the Wicked Witch had

been melted by a bucket of water, and Dorothy at once unlocked the gate of

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 tell them

that they were no longer slaves.

There was great rejoicing among the yellow Winkies, for they had been

made to work hard during many years for the Wicked Witch, who had always

treated them with great cruelty. They kept this day as a holiday, then and

ever after, and spent the time in feasting and dancing.

“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

to rescue their friends, and the Winkies said that they would be delighted

to do all in their power for Dorothy, who had set them free from bondage.

So she chose a number of the Winkies who looked as if they knew the most,

and they all started away. They traveled that day and part of the next

until they came to the rocky plain where the Tin Woodman lay, all battered

and bent. His axe was near him, but the blade was rusted and the handle

broken off short.

The Winkies lifted him tenderly in their arms, and carried him back

to the Yellow Castle again, Dorothy shedding a few tears by the way at the

sad 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 you

straighten out those dents in the Tin Woodman, and bend him back into

shape again, and solder him together where he is broken?”

The tinsmiths looked the Woodman over carefully and then answered

that they thought they could mend him so he would be as good as ever. So

they set to work in one of the big yellow rooms of the castle and worked

for three days and four nights, hammering and twisting and bending and

soldering and polishing and pounding at the legs and body and head of the

Tin Woodman, until at last he was straightened out into his old form, and

his joints worked as well as ever. To be sure, there were several patches

on him, but the tinsmiths did a good job, and as the 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 for

rescuing him, he was so pleased that he wept tears of joy, and Dorothy had

to wipe every tear carefully from his face with her apron, so his joints

would not be rusted. At the same time her own tears fell thick and fast at

the joy of meeting her old friend again, and these tears did not need to

be wiped away. As for the Lion, he wiped his eyes so often with the tip of

his tail that it became quite wet, and he was obliged to go out into the

courtyard and hold it in the sun till it dried.

“If we only had the Scarecrow with us again,” said the Tin Woodman,

when Dorothy had finished telling him everything that had happened, “I

should 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

and part of the next until they came to the tall tree in the branches of

which the Winged Monkeys had tossed the carecrow’s clothes.

It was a very tall tree, and the trunk was so smooth that no one

could climb it; but the Woodman said at once, “I’ll chop it down, and then

we can 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 of

solid gold and fitted it to the Woodman’s axe, instead of the old broken

handle. Others polished the blade until all the rust was removed and it

glistened like burnished silver.

As soon as he had spoken, the Tin Woodman began to chop, and in a

short time the tree fell over with a crash, whereupon the Scarecrow’s

clothes fell out of the branches and rolled off on the ground.

Dorothy picked them up and had the Winkies carry them back to the

castle, where they were stuffed with nice, clean straw; and behold! here

was the Scarecrow, as good as ever, thanking them over and over again for

saving him.

Now that they were reunited, Dorothy and her friends spent a few

happy days at the Yellow Castle, where they found everything they needed

to make them comfortable.

But one day the girl thought of Aunt Em, and said, “We must go back

to Oz, 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

together and bade them good-bye. The Winkies were sorry to have them go,

and they had grown so fond of the Tin Woodman that they begged him to stay

and rule over them and the Yellow Land of the West. Finding they were

determined to go, the Winkies gave Toto and the Lion each a golden collar;

and to Dorothy they presented a beautiful bracelet studded with diamonds;

and to the Scarecrow they gave a gold-headed walking stick, to keep him

from stumbling; and to the Tin Woodman they offered a silver 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 for

the journey, and there she saw the Golden Cap. She tried it on her own

head and found that it fitted her exactly. She did not know anything about

the charm of the Golden Cap, but she saw that it was pretty, so she 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

Emerald City; and the Winkies gave them three cheers and many good wishes

to carry with them.

14. The Winged Monkeys

You will remember there was no road-not even a pathwaybetween the

castle of the Wicked Witch and the Emerald City. When the four travelers

went in search of the Witch she had seen them coming, and so sent the

Winged Monkeys to bring them to her. It was much harder to find their way

back through the big fields of buttercups and yellow daisies than it was

being carried. They knew, of course, they must go straight east, toward

the rising sun; and they started off in the right way. But at noon, when

the sun was over their heads, they did not know which was east and which

was west, and that was the reason they were lost in the great fields. They

kept on walking, however, and at night the moon came out and shone

brightly. So they lay down among the sweet smelling yellow flowers and

slept soundly until morningall but the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman.

The next morning the sun was behind a cloud, but they started on, as

if they were quite sure which way they were going.

“If we walk far enough,” said Dorothy, “I am sure we shall sometime

come to some place.”

But day by day passed away, and they still saw nothing before them

but the scarlet fields. The Scarecrow began to grumble a bit.

“We have surely lost our way,” he said, “and unless we find it again

in time to reach the Emerald City, I shall never get my brains.”

“Nor I my heart,” declared the Tin Woodman. “It seems to me I can

scarcely wait till I get to Oz, and you must admit this is a very long

journey.”

“You see,” said the Cowardly Lion, with a whimper, “I haven’t the

courage to keep tramping forever, without getting anywhere at all.”

Then Dorothy lost heart. She sat down on the grass and looked at her

companions, and they sat down and looked at her, and Toto found that for

the first time in his life he was too tired to chase a butterfly that flew

past his head. So he put out his tongue and panted and looked at Dorothy

as if to ask what they should do next.

“Suppose we call the field mice,” she suggested. “They could probably

tell us the way to the Emerald City.”

“To be sure they could,” cried the Scarecrow. “Why didn’t we think of

that before?”

Dorothy blew the little whistle she had always carried about her neck

since the Queen of the Mice had given it to her. In a few minutes they

heard the pattering of tiny feet, and many of the small gray mice came

running up to her. Among them was the Queen herself, who asked, in her

squeaky little voice:

“What can I do for my friends?”

“We have lost our way,” said Dorothy. “Can you tell us where the

Emerald City is?”

“Certainly,” answered the Queen; “but it is a great way off, for you

have had it at your backs all this time.” Then she noticed Dorothy’s

Golden Cap, and said, “Why don’t you use the charm of the Cap, and call

the Winged Monkeys to you? They will carry you to the City of Oz in less

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, for

they 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 she

scampered out of sight, with all the mice hurrying after her.

Dorothy looked inside the Golden Cap and saw some words written upon

the lining. These, she thought, must be the charm, so she read the

directions 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

was doing.

“Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!” Dorothy went on, standing this time on her

right 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

chattering and 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

lost our way.”

“We will carry you,” replied the King, and no sooner had he spoken

than two 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

little Monkey seized Toto and flew after them, although the dog tried hard

to bite him.

The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were rather frightened at first,

for they remembered how badly the Winged Monkeys had treated them before;

but they saw that no harm was intended, so they rode through the air quite

cheerfully, and had a fine time looking at the pretty gardens and woods

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 and were 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

as we have a long journey before us, I will pass the time by telling you

about 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

the great forest, flying from tree to tree, eating nuts and fruit, and

doing just as we pleased without calling anybody master. Perhaps some of

us were rather too full of mischief at times, flying down to pull the

tails of the animals that had no wings, chasing birds, and throwing nuts

at the people who walked in the forest. But we were careless and happy and

full of fun, and enjoyed every minute of the day. This was many years ago,

long before Oz came out of the clouds to rule over this land.

“There lived here then, away at the North, a beautiful princess, who

was also a powerful sorceress. All her magic was used to help the people,

and she was never known to hurt anyone who was good. Her name was

Gayelette, and she lived in a handsome palace built from great blocks of

ruby. Everyone loved her, but her greatest sorrow was that she could find

no one to love in return, since all the men were much too 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 his years. Gayelette made up

her mind that when he grew to be a man she would make him her husband, so

she took him to her ruby palace and used all her magic powers to make him

as strong and good and lovely as any woman 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 manly beauty was so great that Gayelette loved

him dearly, and hastened to make everything ready for the wedding.

“My grandfather was at that time the King of the Winged Monkeys which

lived in the forest near Gayelette’s palace, and the old fellow loved a

joke better than a good dinner. One day, just before the wedding, my

grandfather was flying out with his band when he saw Quelala walking

beside the river. He was dressed in a rich costume of pink silk and purple

velvet, and my grandfather thought he would see what he could do. At his

word the band flew down and seized Quelala, carried him in their arms

until they were over the middle of the river, and then dropped him into

the water.

“`Swim out, my fine fellow,’ cried my grandfather, `and see if the

water has spotted your clothes.’ Quelala was much too wise not to swim,

and he was not in the least spoiled by all his good fortune. He laughed,

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 and velvet all

ruined by the river.

“The princess was angry, and she knew, of course, who did it. She had

all the Winged Monkeys brought before her, and she said at first that

their wings should be tied and they should be treated as they had treated

Quelala, and dropped in the river. But my grandfather pleaded hard, for he

knew the Monkeys would drown in the river with their wings tied, and

Quelala said a kind word for them also; so that Gayelette finally spared

them, on condition that the Winged Monkeys should ever after do three

times the bidding of the owner of the Golden Cap. This Cap had been made

for a wedding present to Quelala, and it is said to have cost the princess

half her kingdom. Of course my grandfather and all the other Monkeys at

once agreed to the condition, and that is how it happens that we are three

times the slaves of the owner of the Golden Cap, whosoever he may be.”

“And what became of them?” asked Dorothy, who had been greatly

interested 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

not bear the sight of us, he called us all to him in the forest after he

had married her and ordered us always to keep where she could never again

set eyes on a Winged Monkey, which we were glad to do, for we were all

afraid of her.

“This was all we ever had to do until the Golden Cap fell into the

hands 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 the Golden

Cap is yours, and three times you have the right to lay your wishes upon

us.”

As the Monkey King finished his story Dorothy looked down and saw the

green, shining walls of the Emerald City before them. She wondered at the

rapid flight of the Monkeys, but was glad the journey was over. The

strange creatures set the travelers down carefully before the gate of 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. “How

lucky 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

rang the bell. After ringing several times, it was opened by the same

Guardian 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 melted

her?”

“It was Dorothy,” said the Lion gravely.

“Good gracious!” exclaimed the man, and he bowed very low indeed

before her.

Then he led them into his little room and locked the spectacles from

the great box on all their eyes, just as he had done before. Afterward

they passed on through the gate into the Emerald City. When the people

heard from the Guardian of the Gates that Dorothy had melted the Wicked

Witch of the West, they all gathered around the travelers and followed

them 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 beautiful

green girl, who showed each of them to their old rooms at once, so they

might rest until the Great Oz was ready to receive them.

The soldier had the news carried straight to Oz that Dorothy and the

other travelers had come back again, after destroying the Wicked Witch;

but Oz made no reply. They thought the Great Wizard would send for them 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, and at last they

grew vexed that Oz should treat them in so poor a fashion, after sending

them to undergo hardships and slavery. So the Scarecrow at last asked the

green girl to take another message to Oz, saying if he did not let them in

to see him at once they would call the Winged Monkeys 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 he sent word for them to come to

the Throne Room at four minutes after nine o’clock the next morning. He

had once met the Winged Monkeys in the Land of the West, and he did not

wish to meet them again.

The four travelers passed a sleepless night, each thinking of the

gift Oz had promised to bestow on him. Dorothy fell asleep only once, and

then she dreamed she was in Kansas, where Aunt Em was telling her how glad

she was to have her little girl at home again.

Promptly at nine o’clock the next morning the green-whiskered soldier

came to them, and four minutes later they all went into the Throne Room of

the Great Oz.

Of course each one of them expected to see the Wizard in the shape he

had taken before, and all were greatly surprised when they looked about

and saw no one at all in the room. They kept close to the door and closer

to one another, for the stillness of the empty room was more dreadful than

any of the forms they had seen Oz take.

Presently they heard a solemn Voice, that seemed to come from

somewhere near 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 common

mortals I am invisible. I will now seat myself upon my throne, that you

may converse with me.” Indeed, the Voice seemed just then to come straight

from the throne itself; so they walked toward it and stood in a 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 was

destroyed,” 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 Dorothy

thought 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,

for I 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

gave a large, loud roar, which was so fierce and dreadful that Toto jumped

away from him in alarm and tipped over the screen that stood in a corner.

As it fell with a crash they looked that way, and the next moment all of

them were filled with wonder. For they saw, standing in just the spot the

screen had hidden, a little old man, with a bald head and a wrinkled face,

who seemed to be as much surprised as they were. The Tin Woodman, raising

his axe, rushed toward the little man and cried out, “Who are you?”

“I am Oz, the Great and Terrible,” said the little man, in a

trembling voice. “But don’t strike me-please don’t-and I’ll do anything

you want 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 been

making believe.”

“Making believe!” cried Dorothy. “Are you not a Great Wizard?”

“Hush, my dear,” he said. “Don’t speak so loud, or you will be

overheard-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’re a humbug.”

“Exactly so!” declared the little man, rubbing his hands together as

if it pleased him. “I am a humbug.”

“But this is terrible,” said the Tin Woodman. “How shall I ever get

my heart?”

“Or I my courage?” asked the Lion.

“Or I my brains?” wailed the Scarecrow, wiping the tears from his

eyes with his coat sleeve.

“My dear friends,” said Oz, “I pray you not to speak of these little

things. Think of me, and the terrible trouble I’m in at being found out.”

“Doesn’t anyone else know you’re a humbug?” asked Dorothy.

“No one knows it but you four-and myself,” replied Oz. “I have fooled

everyone so long that I thought I should never be found out. It was a

great mistake my ever letting you into the Throne Room. Usually I will not

see even my subjects, and so they believe I am something terrible.”

“But, I don’t understand,” said Dorothy, in bewilderment. “How was it

that you appeared to me as a great Head?”

“That was one of my tricks,” answered Oz. “Step this way, please, and

I will tell you all about it.”

He led the way to a small chamber in the rear of the Throne Room, and

they all followed him. He pointed to one corner, in which lay the great

Head, made out of many thicknesses of paper, and with a carefully painted

face.

“This I hung from the ceiling by a wire,” said Oz. “I stood behind

the screen 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 the

sound of my voice wherever I wish, so that you thought it was coming out

of the Head. Here are the other things I used to deceive you.” He showed

the Scarecrow the dress and the mask he had worn when he seemed to be the

lovely Lady. And the Tin Woodman saw that his terrible Beast was nothing

but a lot of skins, sewn together, with slats to keep their sides out. As

for the Ball of Fire, the false Wizard had hung that also from the

ceiling. It was really a ball of cotton, but when oil was poured upon it

the ball burned fiercely.

“Really,” said the Scarecrow, “you ought to be ashamed of yourself

for being such a humbug.”

“I am-I certainly am,” answered the little man sorrowfully; “but it

was the only thing I could do. Sit down, please, there are plenty of

chairs; 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 her

sadly. “When I grew up I became a ventriloquist, and at that I was very

well trained by a great master. I can imitate any kind of a bird or beast.

” Here he mewed so like a kitten that Toto pricked up his ears 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

of people 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, so

that I couldn’t come down again. It went way up above the clouds, so far

that a current of air struck it and carried it many, many miles away. For

a day and a night I traveled through the air, and on the morning of the

second day I awoke and found the balloon floating over a strange and

beautiful country.

“It came down gradually, and I was not hurt a bit. But I found myself

in 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, because they

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

to build 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 call it

the Emerald City; and to make the name fit better I put green spectacles

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

green spectacles, why of course everything you see looks green to you. The

Emerald City was built a great many years ago, for I was a young man when

the balloon brought me here, and I am a very old man now. But my people

have worn green glasses on their eyes so long that most of them think it

really is an Emerald City, and it certainly is a beautiful place,

abounding in jewels and precious metals, and every good thing that is

needed to make one happy. I have been good to the people, and they like

me; but ever since this Palace was built, I have shut myself up and would

not see any of them.

“One of my greatest fears was the Witches, for while I had no magical

powers at all I soon found out that the Witches were really able to do

wonderful things. There were four of them in this country, and they ruled

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 knew they would do me

no harm; but the Witches of the East and West were terribly wicked, and

had they not thought I was more powerful than they themselves, they would

surely have destroyed me. As it was, I lived in deadly fear of them for

many years; so you can imagine how pleased I was 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 would only do away with the other

Witch; but, now that you have melted her, I am 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 bad

Wizard, I must admit.”

“Can’t you give me brains?” asked the Scarecrow.

“You don’t need them. You are learning something every day. A baby

has brains, but it doesn’t know much. Experience is the only thing that

brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you

are sure to get.”

“That may all be true,” said the Scarecrow, “but I shall be very

unhappy 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 head with

brains. I cannot tell you how to use them, however; you must find that out

for yourself.”

“Oh, thank you-thank you!” cried the Scarecrow. “I’ll find a way to

use 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

is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid

when it faces danger. The True courage is in facing danger when you are

afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”

“Perhaps I have, but I’m scared just the same,” said the Lion. “I

shall really be very unhappy unless you give me the sort of courage that

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 a

heart. It makes most people unhappy. If you only knew it, you are in luck

not to have a heart.”

“That must be a matter of opinion,” said the Tin Woodman. “For my

part, I will bear all the unhappiness without a murmur, if you will give

me the heart.”

“Very well,” answered Oz meekly. “Come to me tomorrow and you shall

have a heart. I have played Wizard for so many years that I may as well

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 me

two or three days to consider the matter and I’ll try to find a way to

carry you over the desert. In the meantime you shall all be treated as my

guests, and while you live in the Palace my people will wait upon you and

obey your slightest wish. There is only one thing I ask in return for my

help-such as it is. You must keep my secret and tell no one I am a humbug.

“

They agreed to say nothing of what they had learned, and went back to

their rooms in high spirits. Even Dorothy had hope that “The Great and

Terrible Humbug,” as she called him, would find a way to send her back to

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 I

return 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 you

will think more of me when you hear the splendid thoughts my new brain is

going to turn out.” Then he said good-bye to them all in a cheerful voice

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 the

window, 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 must

excuse me for taking your head off, but I shall have to do it in order to

put your brains in their proper place.”

“That’s all right,” said the Scarecrow. “You are quite welcome to

take my head off, as long as it will be a better one when you put it on

again.”

So the Wizard unfastened his head and emptied out the straw. Then he

entered the back room and took up a measure of bran, which he mixed with a

great many pins and needles. Having shaken them together thoroughly, he

filled the top of the Scarecrow’s head with the mixture and 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

to him, “Hereafter you will be a great man, for I have given you a lot of

bran-new brains.”

The Scarecrow was both pleased and proud at the fulfillment of his

greatest wish, and having thanked Oz warmly he went back to his friends.

Dorothy looked at him curiously. His head was quite bulged out at the

top with brains.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“I feel wise indeed,” he answered earnestly. “When I get used to my

brains I shall know everything.”

“Why are those needles and pins sticking out of your head?” asked the

Tin 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 he

walked to the Throne Room and knocked at the door.

“Come in,” called Oz, and the Woodman entered and said, “I have come

for my heart.”

“Very well,” answered the little man. “But I shall have to cut a hole

in your breast, so I can put your heart in the right place. I hope it

won’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

hole in the left side of the Tin Woodman’s breast. Then, going to a chest

of drawers, he took out a pretty heart, made entirely of silk and stuffed

with sawdust.

“Isn’t it a beauty?” he asked.

“It is, indeed!” replied the Woodman, who was greatly pleased. “But

is it a kind heart?”

“Oh, very!” answered Oz. He put the heart in the Woodman’s breast and

then replaced the square of tin, soldering it neatly together where it had

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’t

be helped.”

“Never mind the patch,” exclaimed the happy Woodman. “I am very

grateful 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

joy on 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 a

square green bottle, the contents of which he poured into a green-gold

dish, beautifully carved. Placing this before the Cowardly Lion, who

sniffed 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 this

really cannot be called courage until you have swallowed it. Therefore I

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 his

friends to tell them of his good fortune.

Oz, left to himself, smiled to think of his success in giving the

Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion exactly what they thought they

wanted. “How can I help being a humbug,” he said, “when all these people

make me do things that everybody knows can’t be done? It was easy to make

the Scarecrow and the Lion and the Woodman happy, because they imagined I

could do anything. But it will take more than imagination to carry Dorothy

back to Kansas, and I’m sure I don’t know how it can be done.”

17. How the Balloon Was Launched

For three days Dorothy heard nothing from Oz. These were sad days for

the little girl, although her friends were all quite happy and contented.

The Scarecrow told them there were wonderful thoughts in his head; but he

would not say what they were because he knew no one could understand them

but himself. When the Tin Woodman walked about he felt his heart rattling

around in his breast; and he told Dorothy he had discovered it to be a

kinder and more tender heart than the one he had owned when he was made of

flesh. The Lion declared he was afraid of nothing on earth, and would

gladly face an army or a dozen of the fierce Kalidahs.

Thus each of the little party was satisfied except Dorothy, who

longed more than ever to get back to Kansas.

On the fourth day, to her great joy, Oz sent for her, and when she

entered the Throne Room he greeted her pleasantly:

“Sit down, my dear; I think I have found the way to get you out of

this country.”

“And back to Kansas?” she asked eagerly.

“Well, I’m not sure about Kansas,” said Oz, “for I haven’t the

faintest notion which way it lies. But the first thing to do is to cross

the desert, 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 through the

air, being carried by a cyclone. So I believe the best way to get across

the desert will be through the air. Now, it is quite beyond my powers to

make a cyclone; but I’ve been thinking the matter over, and I believe I

can make a balloon.”

“How?” asked Dorothy.

“A balloon,” said Oz, “is made of silk, which is coated with glue to

keep the gas in it. I have plenty of silk in the Palace, so it will be no

trouble to make the balloon. But in all this country there is no gas 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,

which is to fill it with hot air. Hot air isn’t as good as gas, for if the

air should get cold the balloon would come down in the desert, and we

should be lost.”

“We!” exclaimed the girl. “Are you going with me?”

“Yes, of course,” replied Oz. “I am tired of being such a humbug. If

I should go out of this Palace my people would soon discover I am not a

Wizard, 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 silk

together, we will begin to work on our balloon.”

So Dorothy took a needle and thread, and as fast as Oz cut the strips

of silk into proper shape the girl sewed them neatly together. First there

was a strip of light green silk, then a strip of dark green and then a

strip of emerald green; for Oz had a fancy to make the balloon in

different shades of the color about them. It took three days to sew all

the strips together, but when it was finished they had a big bag of green

silk more than twenty feet long.

Then Oz painted it on the inside with a coat of thin glue, to make it

airtight, after which he announced that the balloon was ready.

“But we must have a basket to ride in,” he said. So he sent the

soldier with the green whiskers for a big clothes basket, which he

fastened with many ropes to the bottom of the balloon.

When it was all ready, Oz sent word to his people that he was going

to make a visit to a great brother Wizard who lived in the clouds. The

news spread rapidly throughout the city and everyone came to see the

wonderful sight.

Oz ordered the balloon carried out in front of the Palace, and the

people gazed upon it with much curiosity. The Tin Woodman had chopped a

big pile of wood, and now he made a fire of it, and Oz held the bottom of

the balloon over the fire so that the hot air that arose from it would be

caught in the silken bag. Gradually the balloon swelled out and rose into

the air, until finally the basket just touched the ground.

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 Scarecrow

will 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 to

the ground, for the air within it was hot, and this made it so much

lighter in weight than the air without that it pulled hard to rise into

the sky.

“Come, Dorothy!” cried the Wizard. “Hurry up, or the balloon will fly

away.”

“I can’t find Toto anywhere,” replied Dorothy, who did not wish to

leave her little dog behind. Toto had run into the crowd to bark at a

kitten, and Dorothy at last found him. She picked him up and ran towards

the balloon.

She was within a few steps of it, and Oz was holding out his hands to

help her into the basket, when, crack! went the ropes, and the balloon

rose 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

where the Wizard was riding in the basket, rising every moment farther and

farther 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

we know. But the people remembered him lovingly, and said to one another:

“Oz was always our friend. When he was here he built for us this

beautiful Emerald City, and now he is gone he has left the Wise Scarecrow

to rule over us.”

Still, for many days they grieved over the loss of the Wonderful

Wizard, and would not be comforted.

18. Away to the South

Dorothy wept bitterly at the passing of her hope to get home to

Kansas again; but when she thought it all over she was glad she had not

gone up in a balloon. And she also felt sorry at losing Oz, and so did her

companions.

The Tin Woodman came to her and said:

“Truly I should be ungrateful if I failed to mourn for the man who

gave me 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 the

Tin Woodman wept for several minutes, and she watched the tears carefully

and wiped them away with the towel. When he had finished, he thanked her

kindly and oiled himself thoroughly with his jeweled oil-can, to guard

against mishap.

The Scarecrow was now the ruler of the Emerald City, and although he

was 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 stuffed man.” And, so

far as they knew, they were quite right.

The morning after the balloon had gone up with Oz, the four travelers

met in the Throne Room and talked matters over. The Scarecrow sat in the

big throne and the others stood respectfully before him.

“We are not so unlucky,” said the new ruler, “for this Palace and the

Emerald City belong to us, and we can do just as we please. When I

remember that a short time ago I was up on a pole in a farmer’s cornfield,

and that now I am the ruler of this beautiful City, I am quite 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 that

ever 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 to

Kansas, 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 pins

and needles began to stick out of his brains. Finally he said:

“Why not call the Winged Monkeys, and ask them to carry you over the

desert?”

“I never thought of that!” said Dorothy joyfully. “It’s just the

thing. I’ll go at once for the Golden Cap.”

When she brought it into the Throne Room she spoke the magic words,

and soon the band of Winged Monkeys flew in through the open window and

stood 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, and

cannot 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. We shall be glad

to serve you in any way in our power, but we cannot cross the desert.

Good-bye.”

And with another bow, the Monkey King spread his wings and flew away

through the window, followed by all his band.

Dorothy was ready to cry with disappointment. “I have wasted the

charm of the Golden Cap to no purpose,” she said, “for the Winged Monkeys

cannot help me.”

“It is certainly too bad!” said the tender-hearted Woodman.

The Scarecrow was thinking again, and his head bulged out so horribly

that Dorothy feared it would burst.

“Let us call in the soldier with the green whiskers,” he said, “and

ask his advice.”

So the soldier was summoned and entered the Throne Room timidly, for

while Oz was alive he never was allowed to come farther than the door.

“This little girl,” said the Scarecrow to the soldier, “wishes to

cross the desert. How can she do so?”

“I cannot tell,” answered the soldier, “for nobody has ever crossed

the desert, 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 edge of

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 kind

to everyone. I have heard that Glinda is a beautiful woman, who knows how

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

be full of dangers to travelers. There are wild beasts in the woods, and a

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 is

to travel to the Land of the South and ask Glinda to help her. For, of

course, 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 your

city and long for the woods and the country again. I am really a wild

beast, 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 the Emerald

City. So my good luck is all due to her, and I shall never leave 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

us all 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, and

they all shook hands with the soldier with the green whiskers, who had

walked with them as far as the gate. When the Guardian of the Gate saw

them again he wondered greatly that they could leave the beautiful City to

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 to carry with

them.

“You are now our ruler,” he said to the Scarecrow; “so you must come

back to us as soon as possible.”

“I certainly shall if I am able,” the Scarecrow replied; “but I must

help 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

has been good to me. I cannot tell you how grateful I am.”

“Don’t try, my dear,” he answered. “We should like to keep you with

us, but if it is your wish to return to Kansas, I hope you will find a

way.” He then opened the gate of the outer wall, and they walked forth and

started upon their journey.

The sun shone brightly as our friends turned their faces toward the

Land of the South. They were all in the best of spirits, and laughed and

chatted together. Dorothy was once more filled with the hope of getting

home, and the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were glad to be of use to her.

As for the Lion, he sniffed the fresh air with delight and whisked his

tail from side to side in pure joy at being in the country again, 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 they

walked along at a brisk pace. “I have lost much flesh since I lived there,

and now I am anxious for a chance to show the other beasts how courageous

I have grown.”

They now turned and took a last look at the Emerald City. All they

could see was a mass of towers and steeples behind the green walls, and

high 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

he felt his heart rattling around in his breast.

“He knew how to give me brains, and very good brains, too,” said the

Scarecrow.

“If Oz had taken a dose of the same courage he gave me,” added the

Lion, “he would have been a brave man.”

Dorothy said nothing. Oz had not kept the promise he made her, but he

had 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

flowers that stretched about the Emerald City on every side. They slept

that night on the grass, with nothing but the stars over them; and they

rested very well indeed.

In the morning they traveled on until they came to a thick wood.

There was no way of going around it, for it seemed to extend to the right

and left as far as they could see; and, besides, they did not dare change

the direction of their journey for fear of getting lost. So they looked

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

with such wide-spreading branches that there was room for the party to

pass underneath. So he walked forward to the tree, but just as he came

under the first branches they bent down and twined around him, and the

next minute he was raised from the ground and flung headlong among his

fellow travelers.

This did not hurt the Scarecrow, but it surprised him, and he looked

rather 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 to

get thrown about.” He walked up to another tree, as he spoke, but its

branches 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 our

journey,” remarked the Lion.

“I believe I will try it myself,” said the Woodman, and shouldering

his axe, he marched up to the first tree that had handled the Scarecrow so

roughly. When a big branch bent down to seize him the Woodman chopped at

it so fiercely that he cut it in two. At once the tree began shaking all

its branches as if in pain, and the Tin Woodman passed safely under it.

“Come on!” he shouted to the others. “Be quick!” They all ran forward

and passed under the tree without injury, except Toto, who was caught by a

small branch and shaken until he howled. But the Woodman promptly chopped

off the branch and set the little dog free.

The other trees of the forest did nothing to keep them back, so they

made up their minds that only the first row of trees could bend down their

branches, and that probably these were the policemen of the forest, and

given this wonderful power in order to keep strangers out of it.

The four travelers walked with ease through the trees until they came

to the farther edge of the wood. Then, to their surprise, they found

before them a high wall which seemed to be made of white china. It was

smooth, 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 must

climb over the wall.”

20. The Dainty China Country

While the Woodman was making a ladder from wood which he found in the

forest 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 the

Woodman. “When we have climbed over it, we shall know what is on the other

side.”

After a time the ladder was finished. It looked clumsy, but the Tin

Woodman was sure it was strong and would answer their purpose. The

Scarecrow waked Dorothy and the Lion and Toto, and told them that the

ladder was ready. The Scarecrow climbed up the ladder first, but he was so

awkward that Dorothy had to follow close behind and keep him from falling

off. When he got his head over the top of the wall the Scarecrow said,

“Oh, my!”

“Go on,” exclaimed Dorothy.

So the Scarecrow climbed farther up and sat down on the top of the

wall, and Dorothy put her head over and cried, “Oh, my!” just as the

Scarecrow had done.

Then Toto came up, and immediately began to bark, but Dorothy made

him be still.

The Lion climbed the ladder next, and the Tin Woodman came last; but

both 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 looked down

and saw a strange sight.

Before them was a great stretch of country having a floor as smooth

and shining and white as the bottom of a big platter. Scattered around

were many houses made entirely of china and painted in the brightest

colors. These houses were quite small, the biggest of them reaching only

as high as Dorothy’s waist. There were also pretty little barns, with

china fences around them; and many cows and sheep and horses and pigs and

chickens, all made of china, were standing about in groups.

But the strangest of all were the people who lived in this queer

country. There were milkmaids and shepherdesses, with brightly colored

bodices and golden spots all over their gowns; and princesses with most

gorgeous frocks of silver and gold and purple; and shepherds dressed in

knee breeches with pink and yellow and blue stripes down them, and golden

buckles on their shoes; and princes with jeweled crowns upon their heads,

wearing ermine robes and satin doublets; and funny clowns in ruffled

gowns, with round red spots upon their cheeks and tall, pointed caps. And,

strangest of all, these people were all made of china, even to their

clothes, and were so small that the tallest of them was no higher than

Dorothy’s knee.

No one did so much as look at the travelers at first, except one

little purple china dog with an extra-large head, which came to the wall

and barked 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 the

Scarecrow fell off the wall and the others jumped down upon him so that

the hard floor would not hurt their feet. Of course they took pains not to

light on his head and get the pins in their feet. When all were safely

down they picked up the Scarecrow, whose body was quite flattened 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 except

due South.”

They began walking through the country of the china people, and the

first thing they came to was a china milkmaid milking a china cow. As they

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 china ground with

a great clatter.

Dorothy was shocked to see that the cow had broken her leg off, and

that the pail was lying in several small pieces, while the poor milkmaid

had a nick in her left elbow.

“There!” cried the milkmaid angrily. “See what you have done! My cow

has broken her leg, and I must take her to the mender’s shop and have it

glued on again. What do you mean by coming here and frightening my cow?”

“I’m very sorry,” returned Dorothy. “Please forgive us.”

But the pretty milkmaid was much too vexed to make any answer. She

picked up the leg sulkily and led her cow away, the poor animal limping on

three legs. As she left them the milkmaid cast many reproachful glances

over her shoulder at the clumsy strangers, holding her nicked elbow close

to her side.

Dorothy was quite grieved at this mishap.

“We must be very careful here,” said the kind-hearted Woodman, “or we

may hurt these pretty little people so they will never get over it.”

A little farther on Dorothy met a most beautifully dressed young

Princess, who stopped short as she saw the strangers and started to run

away.

Dorothy wanted to see more of the Princess, so she ran after her. But

the 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

so often that he is mended in a hundred places, and doesn’t look at all

pretty. Here he comes now, so you can see for yourself.”

Indeed, a jolly little clown came walking toward them, and Dorothy

could see that in spite of his pretty clothes of red and yellow and green

he was completely covered with cracks, running every which way and showing

plainly that he had been mended in many places.

The Clown put his hands in his pockets, and after puffing out his

cheeks 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 are

strangers, and should be treated with respect?”

“Well, that’s respect, I expect,” declared the Clown, and immediately

stood upon his head.

“Don’t mind Mr. Joker,” said the Princess to Dorothy. “He is

considerably cracked in his head, and that makes him foolish.”

“Oh, I don’t mind him a bit,” said Dorothy. “But you are so

beautiful,” 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’s mantel? I

could carry you in my basket.”

“That would make me very unhappy,” answered the china Princess. “You

see, here in our country we live contentedly, and can talk and move around

as we please. But whenever any of us are taken away our joints at once

stiffen, and we can only stand straight and look pretty. Of course that is

all that is expected of us when we are on mantels and cabinets and

drawing-room tables, but our lives are much pleasanter here 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 animals

and all the people scampered out of their way, fearing the strangers would

break them, and after an hour or so the travelers reached the other side

of the country and came to another china wall.

It was not so high as the first, however, and by standing upon the

Lion’s back they all managed to scramble to the top. Then the Lion

gathered his legs under him and jumped on the wall; but just as he jumped,

he upset a china church with his tail and smashed it all to pieces.

“That was too bad,” said Dorothy, “but really I think we were lucky

in not doing these little people more harm than breaking a cow’s leg and a

church. They are all so brittle!”

“They are, indeed,” said the Scarecrow, “and I am thankful I am made

of straw and cannot be easily damaged. There are worse things in the world

than being a Scarecrow.”

21. The Lion Becomes the King of Beasts

After climbing down from the china wall the travelers found

themselves in a disagreeable country, full of bogs and marshes and covered

with tall, rank grass. It was difficult to walk without falling into muddy

holes, for the grass was so thick that it hid them from sight. However, by

carefully picking their way, they got safely along until they reached

solid ground. But here the country seemed wilder than ever, and after a

long and tiresome walk through the underbrush they entered another forest,

where the trees were bigger and older than any they had ever seen.

“This forest is perfectly delightful,” declared the Lion, looking

around 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 all

my life. See how soft the dried leaves are under your feet and how rich

and green the moss is that clings to these old trees. Surely no wild 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

them about.”

They walked through the forest until it became too dark to go any

farther. Dorothy and Toto and the Lion lay down to sleep, while the

Woodman and the Scarecrow kept watch over them as usual.

When morning came, they started again. Before they had gone far they

heard a low rumble, as of the growling of many wild animals. Toto

whimpered a little, but none of the others was frightened, and they kept

along the well-trodden path until they came to an opening in the wood, in

which were gathered hundreds of beasts of every variety. There were tigers

and elephants and bears and wolves and foxes and all the others in the

natural history, and for a moment Dorothy was afraid. But the Lion

explained that the animals were holding a meeting, and he judged 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

the great assemblage hushed as if by magic. The biggest of the tigers came

up to the Lion and bowed, saying:

“Welcome, O King of Beasts! You have come in good time to fight our

enemy 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 which

has 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 long as a tree

trunk. It has eight of these long legs, and as the monster crawls through

the forest he seizes an animal with a leg and drags it to his mouth, where

he eats it as a spider does a fly. Not one of us is safe while this fierce

creature is alive, and we had called a meeting 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

as King of the Forest?” inquired the Lion.

“We will do that gladly,” returned the tiger; and all the other

beasts roared 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 his

forefoot.

“Take good care of these friends of mine,” said the Lion, “and I will

go at once to fight the monster.”

He bade his comrades good-bye and marched proudly away to do battle

with the enemy.

The great spider was lying asleep when the Lion found him, and it

looked so ugly that its foe turned up his nose in disgust. Its legs were

quite as long as the tiger had said, and its body covered with coarse

black hair. It had a great mouth, with a row of sharp teeth a foot long;

but its head was joined to the pudgy body by a neck as slender as a wasp’s

waist. This gave the Lion a hint of the best way to attack the creature,

and as he knew it was easier to fight it asleep than awake, he gave a

great spring and landed directly upon the monster’s back. Then, with one

blow of his heavy paw, all armed with sharp 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 was quite dead.

The Lion went back to the opening where the beasts of the forest were

waiting 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 promised

to come back and rule over them as soon as Dorothy was safely on her way

to Kansas.

22. The Country of the Quadlings

The four travelers passed through the rest of the forest in safety,

and when they came out from its gloom saw before them a steep hill,

covered from top to bottom with great pieces of rock.

“That will be a hard climb,” said the Scarecrow, “but we must get

over the hill, nevertheless.”

So he led the way and the others followed. They had nearly reached

the first 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,

“This hill belongs to us, and we don’t allow anyone to cross it.”

“But we must cross it,” said the Scarecrow. “We’re going to the

country of the Quadlings.”

“But you shall not!” replied the voice, and there stepped from behind

the rock the strangest man the travelers had ever seen.

He was quite short and stout and had a big head, which was flat at

the top and supported by a thick neck full of wrinkles. But he had no arms

at all, and, seeing this, the Scarecrow did not fear that so helpless a

creature could prevent them from climbing the hill. So he said, “I’m sorry

not to do as you wish, but we must pass over your hill whether you like it

or not,” and he walked boldly forward.

As quick as lightning the man’s head shot forward and his neck

stretched out until the top of the head, where it was flat, struck the

Scarecrow in the middle and sent him tumbling, over and over, down the

hill. Almost as quickly as it came the head went back to the body, and the

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

Dorothy saw hundreds of the armless Hammer-Heads upon the hillside, one

behind every rock.

The Lion became quite angry at the laughter caused by the Scarecrow’s

mishap, and giving a loud roar that echoed like thunder, he dashed up the

hill.

Again a head shot swiftly out, and the great Lion went rolling down

the hill as if he had been struck by a cannon ball.

Dorothy ran down and helped the Scarecrow to his feet, and the Lion

came up to her, feeling rather bruised and sore, and said, “It is useless

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 still

the right to command them once more.”

“Very well,” she answered, and putting on the Golden Cap she uttered

the magic words. The Monkeys were as prompt as ever, and in a few moments

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

the girl.

“It shall be done,” said the King, and at once the Winged Monkeys

caught the four travelers and Toto up in their arms and flew away with

them. As they passed over the hill the Hammer-Heads yelled with vexation,

and shot their heads high in the air, but they could not reach the Winged

Monkeys, which carried Dorothy and her comrades safely over the hill and

set them down in the beautiful country of the Quadlings.

“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

Monkeys rose into the air and were out of sight in a twinkling.

The country of the Quadlings seemed rich and happy. There was field

upon field of ripening grain, with well-paved roads running between, and

pretty rippling brooks with strong bridges across them. The fences and

houses and bridges were all painted bright red, just as they had been

painted yellow in the country of the Winkies and blue in the country of

the Munchkins. The Quadlings themselves, who were short and fat and looked

chubby and good-natured, were dressed all in red, which showed bright

against the green grass and the yellowing grain.

The Monkeys had set them down near a farmhouse, and the four

travelers walked up to it and knocked at the door. It was opened by the

farmer’s wife, and when Dorothy asked for something to eat the woman gave

them all 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

to the South and you will soon reach it.

Thanking the good woman, they started afresh and walked by the fields

and across the pretty bridges until they saw before them a very beautiful

Castle. Before the gates were three young girls, dressed in handsome red

uniforms trimmed with gold braid; and as Dorothy approached, 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 take

me 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 others were

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 of

the Castle, where Dorothy washed her face and combed her hair, and the

Lion shook the dust out of his mane, and the Scarecrow patted himself into

his best shape, and the Woodman polished his tin and oiled his joints.

When they were all quite presentable they followed the soldier girl

into 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 rich

red in color and fell in flowing ringlets over her shoulders. Her dress

was pure white but her eyes were blue, and they looked kindly upon 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 her

to the Land of Oz, how she had found her companions, and of the wonderful

adventures they had met with.

“My greatest wish now,” she added, “is to get back to Kansas, for

Aunt Em will surely think something dreadful has happened to me, and that

will make her put on mourning; and unless the crops are better this year

than they were last, I am sure Uncle Henry cannot afford it.”

Glinda leaned forward and kissed the sweet, upturned face of the

loving little girl.

“Bless your dear heart,” she said, “I am sure I can tell you of a way

to get back to Kansas.” Then she added, “But, if I do, you must give me

the Golden Cap.”

“Willingly!” exclaimed Dorothy; “indeed, it is of no use to me now,

and when 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 the

Scarecrow, “What will you do when Dorothy has left us?”

“I will return to the Emerald City,” he replied, “for Oz has made me

its ruler and the people like me. The only thing that worries me is how to

cross the hill of the Hammer-Heads.”

“By means of the Golden Cap I shall command the Winged Monkeys to

carry you to the gates of the Emerald City,” said Glinda, “for it would be

a shame 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 when

Dorothy leaves this country?”

He leaned on his axe and thought a moment. Then he said, “The Winkies

were very kind to me, and wanted me to rule over them after the Wicked

Witch died. I am fond of the Winkies, and if I could get back again to the

Country of the West, I should like nothing better than to rule over them

forever.”

“My second command to the Winged Monkeys,” said Glinda “will be that

they carry you safely to the land of the Winkies. Your brain may not be so

large to look at as those of the Scarecrow, but you are really brighter

than he is-when you are well polished-and I am sure you will rule the

Winkies wisely and well.”

Then the Witch looked at the big, shaggy Lion and asked, “When

Dorothy has returned to her own home, what will become of you?”

“Over the hill of the Hammer-Heads,” he answered, “lies a grand old

forest, and all the beasts that live there have made me their King. If I

could only get back to this forest, I would pass my life very happily

there.”

“My third command to the Winged Monkeys,” said Glinda, “shall be to

carry you to your forest. Then, having used up the powers of the Golden

Cap, I shall give it to the King of the Monkeys, that he and his band may

thereafter be free for evermore.”

The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion now thanked the Good

Witch earnestly for her kindness; and Dorothy exclaimed:

“You are certainly as good as you are beautiful! But you have not yet

told 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 Em the

very first day you came to this country.”

“But then I should not have had my wonderful brains!” cried the

Scarecrow. “I might have passed my whole life in the farmer’s cornfield.”

“And I should not have had my lovely heart,” said the Tin Woodman. “I

might 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

no beast 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

these good 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

should like to go back to Kansas.”

“The Silver Shoes,” said the Good Witch, “have wonderful powers. And

one of the most curious things about them is that they can carry you to

any place in the world in three steps, and each step will be made in the

wink of an eye. All you have to do is to knock the heels together three

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

me back to Kansas at once.”

She threw her arms around the Lion’s neck and kissed him, patting his

big head tenderly. Then she kissed the Tin Woodman, who was weeping in a

way most dangerous to his joints. But she hugged the soft, stuffed body of

the Scarecrow in her arms instead of kissing his painted face, and found

she was crying herself at this sorrowful parting from her loving comrades.

Glinda the Good stepped down from her ruby throne to give the little

girl a good-bye kiss, and Dorothy thanked her for all the kindness she had

shown to her friends and herself.

Dorothy now took Toto up solemnly in her arms, and having said one

last good-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 she

could see or feel was the wind whistling past her ears.

The Silver Shoes took but three steps, and then she stopped so

suddenly that she rolled over upon the grass several times before she knew

where she 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 her

was the new farmhouse Uncle Henry built after the cyclone had carried away

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 the

Silver Shoes had fallen off in her flight through the air, and were lost

forever in the desert.

24. Home Again

Aunt Em had just come out of the house to water the cabbages when she

looked up and saw Dorothy running toward her.

“My darling child!” she cried, folding the little girl in her arms

and covering 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!”