Frank Baum - The Wonderful

Wizard of Oz

Introduction

Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for

every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic,

marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have

brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations. Yet the old

time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as "historical" in the

children's library; for the time has come for a series of newer "wonder tales" in which

the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and

blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each

tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only

entertainment in its wonder tales and 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 a modernized fairy tale, in which

the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.

L. Frank Baum Chicago, April, 1900.

1. The Cyclone

Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a

farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife. Their house was small, for the lumber

to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There were four walls, a floor and a

roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a

cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle Henry and

Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner, and Dorothy a little bed in another corner. There

was no garret at all, and no cellar-except a small hole dug in the ground, called a

cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose,

mighty enough to crush any building in its path. It was reached by a trap door in the

middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole. When

Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great

gray prairie on every side. Not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of flat country

that reached to the edge of the sky in all directions. The sun had baked the plowed land

into a gray mass, with little cracks running through it. Even the grass was not green,

for the sun had burned the tops of the long blades until they were the same gray color

to be seen everywhere. Once the house had been painted, but the sun blistered the

paint and the rains washed it 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

sun and wind had changed her, too. They had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left

them a sober gray; they had taken the red from her cheeks and lips, and they were

gray also. She was thin and gaunt, and never smiled now. When Dorothy, who was an

orphan, first came to her, Aunt Em had been so startled by the child's laughter that she

would scream and press her hand upon her heart whenever Dorothy's merry voice

reached her ears; and she still looked at the little girl with wonder that she could find

anything to laugh at. Uncle Henry never laughed. He worked hard from morning till

night and did not know what joy was. He was gray also, from his long beard to his

rough boots, and he looked stern and solemn, and rarely spoke. It was Toto that made

Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as gray as her other surroundings. Toto

was not gray; he was a little black dog, with long silky hair and small black eyes that

twinkled merrily on either side of his funny, wee nose. Toto played all day long, and

Dorothy played with him, and loved him dearly. Today, however, they were not playing.

Uncle Henry sat upon the doorstep and looked anxiously at the sky, which was even

grayer than usual. Dorothy stood in the door with Toto in her arms, and looked at the

sky too. Aunt Em was washing the dishes. From the far north they heard a low wail of

the wind, and Uncle Henry and Dorothy could see where the long grass bowed in waves

before the coming storm. There now came a sharp whistling in the air from the south,

and as they turned their eyes that way they saw ripples in the grass coming from that

direction also. Suddenly Uncle Henry stood up. "There's a cyclone coming, Em," he

called to his wife. "I'll go look after the stock." Then he ran toward the sheds where the

cows and horses were kept. Aunt Em dropped her work and came to the door. One

glance told her of the 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 girl

started to get him. Aunt Em, badly frightened, threw open the trap door in the floor and

climbed down the ladder into the small, dark hole. Dorothy caught Toto at last and

started to follow her aunt. When she was halfway across the room there came a great

shriek from the wind, and the house shook so hard that she lost her footing and sat

down suddenly upon the floor. Then a strange thing happened. The house whirled

around two or three times and rose slowly through the air. Dorothy felt as if she were

going up in a balloon. The north and south winds met where the house stood, and

made it the exact center of the cyclone. In the middle of a cyclone the air is generally

still, but the great pressure of the wind on every side of the house raised it up higher

and higher, until it was at the very top of the cyclone; and there it remained and was

carried miles and miles away as easily as you could carry a feather. It was very dark,

and the wind howled horribly around her, but Dorothy found 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 were being 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 to see what would happen. Once Toto got too near the open trap

door, and fell in; and at first the little girl thought she had lost him. But soon she saw

one of his ears sticking up through the hole, for the strong pressure of the air was

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, afterward closing 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 about her that she

nearly became deaf. At first she had wondered if she would be dashed to pieces when

the house fell again; but as the hours passed and nothing terrible happened, she

stopped worrying and resolved to wait calmly and see what the future would bring. At

last she crawled over the swaying floor to her bed, and lay down upon it; and Toto

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 had not 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; and Toto put his cold little nose into her face and

whined dismally. Dorothy sat up and noticed that the house was not moving; nor was it

dark, for the bright sunshine came in at the window, flooding the little room. She

sprang from her bed and with Toto at her heels ran and opened the door. The little girl

gave a cry of amazement and looked about her, her eyes growing bigger and bigger at

the wonderful sights she saw. The cyclone had set the house down very gently-for a

cyclone-in the midst of a country of marvelous beauty. There were lovely patches of

greensward all about, with stately trees bearing rich and luscious fruits. Banks of

gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang

and fluttered in the trees and bushes. A little way off was a small brook, rushing and

sparkling along between green banks, and murmuring in a voice very grateful to a little

girl who 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 had ever seen. They were not as big as the grown folk she had always been

used to; but neither were they very small. In fact, they seemed about as tall as

Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks

go, many years older. Three were men and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed.

They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little

bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved. The hats of the men were

blue; the little woman's hat was white, and she wore a white gown that hung in pleats

from her shoulders. Over it were sprinkled little stars that glistened in the sun like

diamonds. The men were dressed in blue, of the same shade as their hats, and wore

well-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 had beards. But the little woman

was doubtless much older. Her face was covered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly

white, and she walked rather stiffly. When these people drew near the house where

Dorothy was standing in the doorway, they paused and whispered among themselves,

as if afraid to come farther. But the little old woman walked up to Dorothy, made a low

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 the East,

and for setting our people free from bondage." Dorothy listened to this speech with

wonder. What could the little woman possibly mean by calling her a sorceress, and

saying she had killed the Wicked Witch of the East? Dorothy was an innocent, harmless

little 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. I

have 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 the corner of the

house. "There are her two feet, still sticking out from under a block of wood." Dorothy

looked, and gave a little cry of fright. There, indeed, just under the corner of the great

beam the house rested on, two feet were sticking out, shod in silver shoes with pointed

toes. "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" cried Dorothy, clasping her hands together in dismay. "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 little woman. "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 swift messenger 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, and the people love me. I am not as powerful

as the Wicked Witch was who ruled here, or I should have set the people free myself."

"But I thought all witches were wicked," said the girl, who was half frightened 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 know this 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 Witch in all the Land of Oz-the

one who lives in the West." "But," said Dorothy, after a moment's thought, "Aunt Em

has told me that 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 bowed and her eyes

upon the ground. Then she looked up and said, "I do not know where Kansas is, for I

have never heard that country mentioned before. But tell me, is it a civilized country?"

"Oh, yes," replied Dorothy. "Then that accounts for it. In the civilized countries I believe

there are no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But, you see, the

Land of Oz has never been civilized, for we are cut off from all the rest of the world.

Therefore we still have witches and wizards amongst us." "Who are the wizards?" asked

Dorothy. "Oz himself is the Great Wizard," answered the Witch, sinking her voice to 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 the corner of the

house where the Wicked Witch had been lying. "What is it?" asked the little old woman,

and looked, and began to laugh. The feet of the dead Witch had disappeared entirely,

and nothing was left but the silver shoes. "She was so old," explained the Witch of the

North, that she dried up quickly in the sun. That is the end of her. But the silver shoes

are yours, and you shall have them to wear." She reached down and picked up the

shoes, and after shaking the dust out of them handed them to Dorothy. "The Witch of

the East was proud of those silver shoes," said one of the Munchkins, "and there is

some charm connected with them; but what it 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 will worry about me. Can you help me find my way?" The Munchkins and the Witch

first looked at one another, and then at Dorothy, 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 and seen it. The

South is the country of the Quadlings." "I am told," said the third man, "that it is the

same at the West. And that country, where the Winkies live, is ruled by the Wicked

Witch of the 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 same great desert that surrounds

this Land of Oz. I'm afraid, my dear, you will have to live with us." Dorothy began to

sob at this, for she felt lonely among all these strange people. Her tears seemed to

grieve the kind-hearted Munchkins, for they immediately took out their handkerchiefs

and began to weep also. As for the little old woman, she took off her cap and balanced

the 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 was written 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 the words 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, the Great 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 I have

never seen him." "How can I get there?" asked Dorothy. "You must walk. It is a long

journey, through a country that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and

terrible. However, I will use 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 upon the little old

woman as her only friend. "No, I cannot do that," she replied, "but I will give you my

kiss, and no one will dare injure a person who has been kissed by the Witch of the

North." She came close to Dorothy and kissed her gently on the forehead. Where her

lips touched the girl they left a round, shining mark, as Dorothy found out soon after.

"The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick," said the Witch, "so you

cannot miss it. When you get to Oz do not be afraid of him, 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 Dorothy a friendly little nod, whirled around on her left heel three times,

and straightway disappeared, much to the surprise of little Toto, who barked after her

loudly enough when she had gone, because he had been afraid even to growl while she

stood by. But Dorothy, knowing her to be a witch, had expected her to disappear in 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 to the 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 it down to the little brook and filled it with clear,

sparkling water. Toto ran over to the trees and began to bark at the birds sitting there.

Dorothy went to get him, and saw such delicious fruit hanging from the branches that

she gathered some of it, finding it just what she wanted to help out her breakfast. Then

she went back to the house, and having helped herself and Toto to a good drink of the

cool, clear water, she set about making ready for the journey to the City of Emeralds.

Dorothy had only one other dress, but that happened to be clean and was hanging on a

peg beside her bed. It was gingham, with checks of white and 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 on her head. She took a little basket and filled it with bread from the

cupboard, laying a white cloth over the top. Then she looked down at her feet and

noticed how old and worn her shoes were. "They surely will never do for a long journey,

Toto," she said. And Toto looked up into her face with his little black eyes and wagged

his tail to show he knew what she meant. At that moment Dorothy saw lying on the

table the silver shoes that had belonged to the Witch of the East. "I wonder if they will

fit me," she said to Toto. "They would be just the 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,

which fitted 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 ask the Great

Oz how to get back to Kansas again." She closed the door, locked it, and put the key

carefully in the pocket of her dress. And so, with Toto trotting along soberly behind her,

she started on her journey. There were several roads near by, but it did not take her

long to find the one paved with yellow bricks. Within a short time she was walking

briskly toward the Emerald City, her silver shoes tinkling merrily on the hard, yellow

road-bed. The sun shone bright and the birds sang sweetly, and Dorothy did not feel

nearly so bad as you might think a little girl would who had been suddenly whisked

away from her own country and set down in the midst of a strange land. She was

surprised, as she walked along, to see how pretty the country was about her. There

were neat fences at the sides of the road, painted a dainty blue color, and beyond them

were fields of grain and vegetables in abundance. Evidently the Munchkins were good

farmers and able to raise large crops. Once in a while she would pass a house, and the

people came out to look at her and bow low as she went by; for everyone knew she

had been the means of destroying the Wicked Witch and setting them free from

bondage. The houses of the Munchkins were odd-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 the favorite color. Toward evening, when Dorothy was tired with her long walk and

began to wonder where she should pass the night, she came to a house rather larger

than the rest. On the green lawn before it many men and women were dancing. Five

little fiddlers played as loudly as possible, and the people were laughing and singing,

while a big table near by was loaded with delicious fruits and nuts, pies and cakes, and

many other good things to eat. The people greeted Dorothy kindly, and invited her to

supper and to pass the night with them; for this was the home of one of the richest

Munchkins in the land, and his friends were gathered with him to celebrate their

freedom from the bondage of the Wicked Witch. Dorothy ate a hearty supper and was

waited upon by the rich Munchkin himself, whose name was Boq. Then she sat upon a

settee and watched the 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 sorceresses wear white." "My dress is blue and white checked," said Dorothy,

smoothing out the wrinkles in it. "It is kind of you to wear that," said Boq. "Blue is the

color of the Munchkins, and white is the witch color. So we know you are a friendly

witch." Dorothy did not know what to say to this, for all the people seemed to think her

a witch, and she knew very well she was only an ordinary little 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 made of blue cloth, and Dorothy slept soundly in them till morning, with

Toto curled up on the blue rug beside her. She ate a hearty breakfast, and watched a

wee Munchkin baby, who played with Toto and pulled his tail and crowed and laughed

in a way that greatly 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 business with him. But it is a long way

to the Emerald City, and it will take you many days. The country here is rich and

pleasant, but you must pass through rough and dangerous places before you reach the

end of your journey." This worried Dorothy a little, but she knew that only the Great Oz

could help her get to Kansas again, so she bravely resolved not to turn back. She bade

her friends good-bye, and again started along the road of yellow brick. When she had

gone several miles she thought she would stop to rest, and so climbed to the top of the

fence beside the road and sat down. There was a great cornfield beyond the fence, and

not far away she saw a Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birds from the ripe

corn. Dorothy leaned her chin upon her hand and gazed thoughtfully at the Scarecrow.

Its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes, nose, and mouth painted on it

to represent a face. An old, pointed blue 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 old boots with

blue tops, such as every man wore in this country, and the figure was raised above the

stalks of corn by means of the pole stuck up its back. While Dorothy was looking

earnestly into the queer, painted face of the Scarecrow, 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 the scarecrows in Kansas ever wink; but presently the figure nodded its head to

her in a friendly way. Then she climbed down from the fence and 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 you do?" "I'm not feeling well," said the Scarecrow, with a smile, "for it is very

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

away the 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 on the ground. "I feel like

a new man." Dorothy was puzzled at this, for it sounded queer to hear a stuffed man

speak, and to see him bow and walk along beside her. "Who are you?" asked the

Scarecrow when he had stretched himself and yawned. "And where are you going?" "My

name is Dorothy," said the girl, "and I am going to the Emerald City, 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 have no 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, that Oz 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 you are now." "That is true," said the Scarecrow. "You see,"

he continued confidentially, "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 pin into me, it

doesn't matter, for I can't feel it. But I do not want people to call me a fool, and if my

head stays stuffed with straw instead 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 sorry for him.

"If you will come with me I'll ask Oz to do all he can for you." "Thank you," he

answered gratefully. They walked back to the road. Dorothy helped him over the fence,

and they started along the path of yellow brick for the Emerald City. Toto did not like

this addition to the party at first. He smelled around the stuffed man as if he suspected

there might be a nest of rats in the straw, and he often growled in an unfriendly way at

the Scarecrow. "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't get 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 so difficult that the

Scarecrow often stumbled over the yellow bricks, which were here very uneven.

Sometimes, indeed, they were broken or missing altogether, leaving holes that Toto

jumped across and Dorothy walked around. As for the Scarecrow, having no brains, he

walked straight ahead, and so stepped into the holes and fell at full length on the hard

bricks. It never hurt him, however, and Dorothy would pick him up and set him upon

his feet again, while he joined her in laughing merrily at his own mishap. The farms

were not nearly so well cared for here as they were farther back. There were fewer

houses and fewer fruit trees, and the farther they went the more dismal and lonesome

the country became. At noon they sat down by the roadside, near a little brook, and

Dorothy opened her basket and got out some bread. She offered a piece to the

Scarecrow, but he refused. "I am never hungry," he said, "and it is a lucky thing I am

not, for my mouth 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 the shape of my head."

Dorothy saw at once that this was true, so she only nodded and went on eating her

bread. "Tell me something about yourself and the country you came from," said the

Scarecrow, when she had finished her dinner. So she told him all about Kansas, and

how gray everything was there, and how the cyclone had carried her to this queer Land

of Oz. The Scarecrow listened carefully, and said, "I cannot understand why you 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 how dreary and

gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather 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 were stuffed with

straw, like mine, you would probably all live in the beautiful places, and then Kansas

would have no people at all. It is fortunate 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 was only made day before yesterday. What happened in the world before

that time is all unknown to me. Luckily, when the farmer made my head, one of the

first things he did was to paint my ears, so that I heard what was going on. There was

another Munchkin with him, and the first thing I 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 right eye, and as soon as it was finished I

found myself looking at him and at everything around me with a great deal of curiosity,

for this was my first glimpse of the world. "`That's a rather pretty eye,'" remarked the

Munchkin who was watching the farmer. "`Blue paint is just the color for eyes.' "`I

think I'll make the other a little bigger,'" said the farmer. And when the second eye was

done I could see much better than before. Then he made my nose and my mouth. But I

did not speak, because at that time I didn't know what a mouth was for. I had the fun

of watching them make my body and my arms and legs; and when they fastened on

my head, at last, I felt very proud, forI thought I was just as good a man as anyone.

"`This fellow will scare the crows fast enough,' said the farmer. `He looks just like a

man.' "`Why, he is a man,' said the other, and I quite agreed with him. The farmer

carried me under his arm to the cornfield, and set me up on a tall stick, where you

found me. He and his friend soon after walked away and left me alone. "I did not like to

be deserted this way. So I tried to walk after them. But my feet would not touch the

ground, and I was forced to stay on that pole. It was a lonely life to lead, for I had

nothing to think of, having been made such a little while before. Many crows and other

birds flew into the cornfield, but as soon as they saw me they flew away again, thinking

I was a Munchkin; and this pleased me and made me feel that I was quite an important

person. By and by an old crow flew near me, and after looking at me carefully he

perched upon my shoulder and 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. The other 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 Scarecrow after all; but the old crow comforted me, saying, `If you only had

brains in your head you would be as good a man as any of them, and a better man

than some of them. Brains are the only things worth having in 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 try hard to get some brains. By good luck you came along and pulled

me off the stake, and from what you say I am sure the Great Oz will give me brains as

soon as we get to the Emerald City." "I hope so," said Dorothy earnestly, "since you

seem anxious to have them." "Oh, yes; I am anxious," returned the Scarecrow. "It is

such an uncomfortable feeling to know one is a fool." "Well," said the girl, "let us go."

And she handed the basket to the Scarecrow. There were no fences at all by the

roadside now, and the land was rough and untilled. Toward evening they came to a

great forest, where the trees grew so big and close together that their branches met

over the road of yellow brick. It was almost dark under the trees, for the branches shut

out the daylight; but the travelers did not stop, and went on into the forest. "If this

road goes in, it must come out," said the Scarecrow, "and as the Emerald City is at the

other end of the road, we must go wherever it leads us." "Anyone would know that,"

said Dorothy. "Certainly; that is why I know it," returned the Scarecrow. "If it required

brains to figure it out, I never should have said it." After an hour or so the light faded

away, and they found themselves stumbling along in the darkness. Dorothy could not

see at all, but Toto could, for some dogs see very well in the dark; and the Scarecrow

declared he could see as well as by day. So she took hold of his arm and managed to

get along fairly well. "If you see any house, or any place where we can pass the night,"

she said, "you must tell me; for it is very uncomfortable walking in the dark. " Soon

after the Scarecrow stopped. "I see a little cottage at the right of us," he said, "built of

logs and 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 the cottage,

and Dorothy entered and found a bed of dried leaves in one corner. She lay down at

once, and with Toto beside her soon fell into a sound sleep. The Scarecrow, who was

never tired, stood up in another corner 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 had long been

out chasing birds around him and squirrels. She sat up and looked 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 the dry bread will not stick in my

throat." "It must be inconvenient to be made of flesh," said the Scarecrow thoughtfully,

"for you must sleep, and eat and drink. However, you have brains, and it is worth a lot

of bother to be able to think properly." They left the cottage and walked through the

trees until they found a little spring of clear water, where Dorothy drank and bathed

and ate her 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 of yellow 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

to come from behind them. They turned and walked through the forest a few steps,

when Dorothy discovered something shining in a ray of sunshine that fell between the

trees. She ran to the place and then stopped short, with a little cry of surprise. One of

the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standing beside it, with an uplifted

axe in his hands, was a man made entirely of tin. His head and arms and legs were

jointed upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all.

Dorothy looked at him in amazement, and so did the Scarecrow, while Toto barked

sharply and made a snap at the tin legs, which hurt his teeth. "Did you groan?" asked

Dorothy. "Yes," answered the tin man, "I did. I've been groaning for more than a 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 the sad voice in which the man spoke. "Get

an oil-can and oil my joints," he answered. "They are rusted so badly that I cannot

move them at all; if I am well oiled I shall soon be 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 then she returned and asked anxiously, "Where are your joints?" "Oil my

neck, first," replied the Tin Woodman. So she oiled it, and as it was quite badly rusted

the Scarecrow took hold of the tin head and moved it gently from side to side until it

worked freely, and then the man could turn it himself. "Now oil the joints in my arms,"

he said. And Dorothy oiled them and the Scarecrow bent them carefully until they were

quite free from rust and as good as new. The Tin Woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction

and lowered his axe, which he leaned against the tree. "This is a great comfort," he

said. "I have been holding that axe in the air ever since I rusted, and I'm glad to be

able to put it down at last. Now, if you will oil the joints of my legs, I shall be all right

once more." So they oiled his legs until he could move them freely; and he thanked

them again and again for his release, for he seemed a very polite creature, 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," she answered, "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 to put 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 give the Scarecrow brains." "True," the Tin Woodman returned.

"So, if you will allow me to join your 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 she

would be pleased to have his company. So the Tin Woodman shouldered his axe and

they all passed through the forest until they came to the road 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, I would need the oil-

can badly." It was a bit of good luck to have their new comrade join the party, for soon

after they had begun their journey again they came to a place where the trees and

branches grew so thick over the road that the travelers could not pass. But the Tin

Woodman set to work with his axe and 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 not notice when the Scarecrow stumbled into a hole and rolled over to the side of

the road. Indeed he was obliged to call to her to help him up again. "Why didn't you

walk around the hole?" asked the Tin Woodman. "I don't know enough," replied the

Scarecrow cheerfully. "My head is stuffed with straw, you know, and that is why I am

going to Oz to ask him for some brains." "Oh, I see," said the Tin Woodman. "But, after

all, brains are not the best things in the world." "Have you any?" inquired the

Scarecrow. "No, my head is quite empty," answered the Woodman. "But once I had

brains, and a heart also; so, having tried them both, I should much rather 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 told the

following story: "I was born the son of a woodman who chopped down trees in the

forest and sold the wood for a living. When I grew up, I too became a woodchopper,

and after my father died I took care of my old mother as long as she lived. Then I

made up my mind that instead of living alone I would marry, so that I might not

become lonely. "There was one of the Munchkin girls who was so beautiful that I soon

grew to love her with all my heart. She, on her part, promised to marry me as soon as

I could earn enough money to build a better house for her; so I set to work harder than

ever. But the girl lived with an old woman who did not want her to marry anyone, for

she was so lazy she wished the girl to remain with her and do the cooking and the

housework. So the old woman went to the Wicked Witch of the East, and promised her

two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage. Thereupon the Wicked Witch

enchanted my axe, and when I was chopping away at my best one day, for I was

anxious to get the new house and my wife as soon as possible, the axe slipped all at

once and cut off my left leg. "This at first seemed a great misfortune, for I knew a one-

legged man could not do very well as a wood-chopper. So I went to a tinsmith and had

him make me a new leg out of tin. The leg worked very well, once I was 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 pretty Munchkin girl. When I began chopping again, my axe

slipped and cut off my right leg. Again I went to the tinsmith, and again he made me a

leg out of tin. After this the enchanted axe cut off my arms, one after the 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 at first I thought that was the end of me. But the

tinsmith happened to come along, and he made me a new head out of tin. "I thought I

had beaten the Wicked Witch then, and I worked harder than ever; but I little knew

how cruel my enemy could be. She thought of a new way to kill my love for the

beautiful Munchkin maiden, and made my axe slip again, so that it cut right through my

body, splitting me into two halves. Once more the tinsmith came to my help and made

me a body of tin, fastening my tin arms and legs and head to it, by means of joints, so

that I could move around as well as ever. But, alas! I had now no heart, so that I lost

all my love for the Munchkin girl, and did not care whether I married her or not. I

suppose she is still living with 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 and it 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 an oil-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 caught in 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 was a terrible thing to undergo, but during

the year I stood there I had time to think that the greatest loss I had known was the

loss of my heart. While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth; but no one can

love who has not a heart, and so I am resolved to ask Oz to give me one. 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 story of the Tin Woodman, and now they knew why

he was so anxious to get a new heart. "All the same," said the Scarecrow, "I shall ask

for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he

had one." "I shall take the heart," returned the Tin Woodman; "for brains do not make

one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world." Dorothy did not say anything,

for she was puzzled to know which of her two friends was right, and she decided if she

could only get back to Kansas and Aunt Em, it did not matter so much whether the

Woodman had no brains and the Scarecrow no heart, or each got what he wanted.

What worried her most was that the bread was nearly gone, and another meal for

herself and Toto would empty the basket. To be sure neither the Woodman nor the

Scarecrow ever ate anything, but she was not made of 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 the thick woods.

The road was still paved with yellow brick, but these were much covered by dried

branches and dead leaves from the trees, and the walking was not at all good. There

were few birds in this part of the forest, for birds love the open country where there is

plenty of sunshine. But now and then there came a deep growl from some wild animal

hidden among the trees. These sounds made the little girl's heart beat fast, for she did

not know what 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 we are out of the forest?" "I cannot tell," was the answer, "for I have never

been to the Emerald City. But my father went there once, when I was a boy, and he

said it was a long journey through a dangerous country, although nearer to the city

where Oz dwells the country is beautiful. But I am not afraid so long as I have my oil-

can, and nothing can hurt the Scarecrow, while you bear upon your forehead the mark

of the Good Witch's kiss, and that will 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 Tin Woodman. Just as he spoke there came from the forest a terrible roar,

and the next moment a great Lion bounded into the road. With one blow of his paw he

sent the Scarecrow spinning over and over to the edge of the road, 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 the Lion, and the great

beast had opened his mouth to bite the dog, when Dorothy, fearing Toto would be

killed, and heedless of danger, rushed forward and slapped the Lion upon his nose as

hard as she could, while she cried out: "Don't you dare to bite Toto! You ought to be

ashamed of yourself, a big beast like you, to bite a poor little dog!" "I didn't bite him,"

said the Lion, as he rubbed his nose with his paw where Dorothy had hit it. "No, but

you tried to," she retorted. "You are nothing but a big coward." "I know it," said the

Lion, hanging his head in shame. "I've always known it. But how can I help it?" "I don't

know, I'm sure. To think of your striking a stuffed man, like the poor Scarecrow!" "Is he

stuffed?" asked the Lion in surprise, as he watched her pick up the Scarecrow and set

him upon his feet, while she patted him into shape again. "Of course he's stuffed,"

replied Dorothy, who was still angry. "That's why he went over so easily," remarked the

Lion. "It astonished me 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 up again. "That's why

he nearly blunted my claws," said the Lion. "When they scratched against the tin it

made a cold shiver run down my back. What is 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 look at him. No one would think of biting such a

little thing, except a coward like me," continued the Lion sadly. "What makes you a

coward?" asked Dorothy, looking at the great beast in wonder, 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 learned that if I roared very loudly every living thing

was frightened and got out of my way. Whenever I've met a man I've been awfully

scared; but I just 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 fight me, I should have run

myself-I'm such a coward; but just as soon as they hear me roar they all try to get

away from me, and of course I let them go." "But that isn't right. The King of Beasts

shouldn't be a coward," said the Scarecrow. "I know it," returned the Lion, wiping a

tear from his eye with the tip of 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 it proves you have a heart. For

my part, I have no heart; so I cannot have heart disease." "Perhaps," said the Lion

thoughtfully, "if I had no heart I should not be 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 the Scarecrow, "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," added

Dorothy. "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 my life is simply unbearable without a bit of courage."

"You will be very welcome," answered Dorothy, "for you will help to keep away the

other wild beasts. It seems to me they must be more cowardly 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 Lion walking with stately

strides at Dorothy's side. Toto did not approve this new comrade at first, for he could

not forget how nearly he had been crushed between the Lion's great jaws. But after a

time he became more at ease, and presently Toto and the Cowardly Lion had grown to

be good friends. During the rest of that day there was no other adventure to mar the

peace of their journey. Once, indeed, the Tin Woodman stepped upon a beetle that was

crawling along the road, and killed the poor little thing. This made the Tin Woodman

very unhappy, for he was always careful not to hurt any living creature; and as he

walked along he wept several tears of sorrow and regret. These tears ran slowly down

his face and over the hinges of his jaw, and there they rusted. When Dorothy presently

asked him a question the Tin Woodman could not open his mouth, for his jaws were

tightly rusted together. He became greatly frightened at this and made many motions

to Dorothy to relieve him, but she could not understand. The Lion was also puzzled to

know what was wrong. But the Scarecrow seized the oil-can from Dorothy's basket and

oiled the Woodman's jaws, so that after a few moments he could talk as well as before.

"This will serve me a lesson," said he, "to look where I step. For if I should kill another

bug or beetle I should surely cry again, and crying rusts my jaws so that I cannot

speak." Thereafter he walked very carefully, with his eyes on the road, and when he

saw a tiny ant toiling by he would step over it, so as not to harm it. The Tin Woodman

knew very well he had no heart, and therefore he took great care never to be cruel or

unkind to anything. "You people with hearts," he said, "have something to guide you,

and need never do wrong; but I have no heart, and so I must be very careful. 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 the forest, for there

were no houses near. The tree made a good, thick covering to protect them from the

dew, and the Tin Woodman chopped a great pile of wood with his axe and Dorothy built

a splendid fire that warmed her and made her feel less lonely. She and Toto ate the last

of their 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 a deer for you. You can roast it by

the fire, since your tastes are so peculiar that you prefer cooked food, and then you will

have a very good breakfast." "Don't! Please don't," begged the Tin Woodman. "I should

certainly weep 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 no one ever knew what it

was, for he didn't mention it. And the Scarecrow found a tree full of nuts and filled

Dorothy's basket with them, so that she would not be hungry for a long time. She

thought this was very kind and thoughtful of the Scarecrow, but she laughed heartily at

the awkward way in which the poor creature picked up the nuts. His padded hands

were so clumsy and the nuts were so small that he dropped almost as many as he put

in the basket. But the Scarecrow did not mind how long it took him to fill the basket,

for it enabled him to keep away from the fire, as he feared a spark might get into his

straw and burn him up. So he kept a good distance away from the flames, and only

came 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 rippling brook, and soon after they all started toward

the Emerald City. This was to be an eventful day for the travelers. They had hardly

been walking an hour when they saw before them a great ditch that crossed the road

and divided the forest as far as they could see on either side. It was a very wide ditch,

and when they crept up to the edge and looked into it they could see it was also very

deep, and there were many big, jagged rocks at the bottom. The sides were so steep

that none of them could climb down, and for a moment it seemed that their journey

must end. "What shall we do?" asked Dorothy despairingly. "I haven't the faintest

idea," said the Tin Woodman, and the Lion shook his shaggy mane and looked

thoughtful. But the Scarecrow said, "We cannot fly, that is certain. Neither can we climb

down into this great ditch. Therefore, if we cannot jump over it, we must stop where we

are." "I think I could jump over it," said the Cowardly Lion, after measuring the

distance carefully in his mind. "Then we are all right," answered the Scarecrow, "for you

can carry us all 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 not jump

over the gulf, Dorothy would be killed, or the Tin Woodman badly dented on the rocks

below. But if I am on your back it will not matter so much, for the fall would not hurt

me at all." "I am terribly afraid of falling, myself," said the Cowardly Lion, "but I

suppose there is nothing to do but try it. So get on my back and we will make the

attempt." The Scarecrow sat upon the Lion's back, and the big beast walked to the

edge 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 safely on the other side. They

were all greatly pleased to see how easily he did it, and after the Scarecrow had got

down from his back the Lion sprang across the ditch again. Dorothy thought she would

go next; so she took Toto in her arms and climbed 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; and then, before she had time to think about it, she was safe on the other side. The

Lion went back a third time and got the Tin Woodman, and then they all sat down for a

few moments to give the beast a chance to rest, for his great leaps had made his

breath short, and he panted like a big dog that has been running too long. They found

the forest very thick on this side, and it looked dark and gloomy. After the Lion had

rested they started along the road of yellow brick, silently wondering, each in his own

mind, if ever they would come to the end of the woods and reach the bright sunshine

again. To add to their discomfort, they soon heard strange noises in the depths of the

forest, and the Lion whispered to them that it was in this 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 like tigers," replied the Lion, "and with claws so long

and sharp that they could tear me in two as easily as I could kill Toto. I'm terribly afraid

of the Kalidahs." "I'm not surprised that you are," returned Dorothy. "They must be

dreadful beasts." The Lion was about to reply when suddenly they came to another gulf

across the road. But this one was so broad and deep that the Lion knew at once he

could not leap across it. So they sat down to consider what they should do, and after

serious thought the Scarecrow said: "Here is a great tree, standing close to the ditch. If

the Tin Woodman can chop it down, so that it will fall to the other side, we can walk

across it easily." "That is a first-rate idea," said the Lion. "One would almost suspect

you had brains in your head, instead of straw." The Woodman set to work at once, and

so sharp was his axe that the tree was soon chopped nearly through. Then the Lion put

his strong front legs against the tree and pushed with all his might, and slowly the big

tree tipped and fell with a crash across the ditch, with its top branches on the other

side. They had just started to cross this queer bridge when a sharp growl made them

all look up, and to their horror they saw running toward them two 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 Woodman followed, and the Scarecrow

came next. The Lion, although he was certainly afraid, turned to face the Kalidahs, and

then he gave so loud and terrible a roar that Dorothy screamed and the Scarecrow fell

over backward, while even the fierce beasts stopped short and looked at him in

surprise. But, seeing they were bigger than the Lion, and remembering that there were

two of them and only one of him, the Kalidahs again rushed forward, and the Lion

crossed over the tree and turned to see what they would do next. Without stopping an

instant the fierce beasts also began to cross the tree. And the Lion said to Dorothy:

"We are lost, for they will surely tear us to pieces with their sharp claws. But stand

close behind me, and I will fight them as long as I am alive." "Wait a minute!" called

the Scarecrow. He had been thinking what was best to be done, and now he asked the

Woodman to chop away the end of the tree that rested on their side of the ditch. The

Tin Woodman began to use his axe at once, and, just as the two Kalidahs were nearly

across, the tree fell with a crash into the gulf, carrying the ugly, snarling brutes with it,

and both were dashed to pieces on the sharp rocks at the bottom. "Well," said the

Cowardly Lion, drawing a long breath of relief, "I see we are going to live a little while

longer, and I am glad of it, for it must be a very uncomfortable thing not to be alive.

Those creatures frightened 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 of the forest, and they walked so fast that Dorothy

became tired, and had to ride on the Lion's back. To their great joy the trees became

thinner the farther they advanced, and in the afternoon they suddenly came upon a

broad river, flowing swiftly just before them. On the other side of the water they could

see the road of yellow brick running through a beautiful country, with green meadows

dotted with bright flowers and all the road bordered with trees hanging full of delicious

fruits. They were greatly pleased to see this delightful country before them. "How shall

we cross the river?" asked Dorothy. "That is easily done," replied the Scarecrow. "The

Tin Woodman must build 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 make a raft, and while he was busy

at this the Scarecrow found on the riverbank a tree full of fine fruit. This pleased

Dorothy, who had eaten nothing but nuts all day, and she made a hearty meal of the

ripe fruit. But it takes time to make a raft, even when one is as industrious and untiring

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 until the morning; and Dorothy

dreamed of the Emerald City, and of the good Wizard 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 and full of hope, and

Dorothy breakfasted like a princess off peaches and plums from the trees beside the

river. Behind them was the dark forest they had passed safely through, although they

had suffered many discouragements; but before them was a lovely, sunny country that

seemed 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 few more logs and fastened them together with wooden pins, they

were ready to start. Dorothy sat down in the middle of the raft and held Toto in her

arms. When the Cowardly Lion stepped upon the raft it tipped badly, for he was big and

heavy; but the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman stood upon the other end to steady it,

and they had long poles in their hands to push the raft through the water. They got

along quite well at first, but when they reached the middle of the river the swift current

swept the raft downstream, farther and farther away from the road of yellow brick. And

the water grew so deep that the long poles would not touch the bottom. "This is bad,"

said the Tin Woodman, "for if we cannot get to the land we 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 Scarecrow continued, and he pushed so hard on his long

pole that it stuck fast in the mud at the bottom of the river. Then, before he could pull

it out again-or let go-the raft was swept away, and the poor Scarecrow left clinging to

the pole in the middle of the river. "Good-bye!" he called after them, and they were

very sorry to leave him. Indeed, the Tin Woodman began to cry, but fortunately

remembered that 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 scare the crows, at any rate. But surely there is no use for a Scarecrow stuck on

a pole in the middle of a river. I am afraid I shall never have any brains, after all!"

Down the stream the raft floated, and the poor Scarecrow was left far behind. Then the

Lion said: "Something must be done to save us. I think I can swim to the shore and

pull the raft after me, if you will only hold fast to the tip of my tail." So he sprang into

the water, and the Tin Woodman caught fast hold of his tail. Then the Lion began to

swim with all his might toward the shore. It was hard work, although he was so big;

but by and by they were drawn out of the current, and then Dorothy took the Tin

Woodman's long pole and helped push the raft to the land. They were all tired out when

they reached the shore at last and stepped off upon the pretty green grass, and they

also knew that the stream had carried them a long way past the road of yellow brick

that led to the Emerald City. "What shall we do now?" asked the Tin Woodman, as the

Lion lay down on the 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 the road again," remarked the Lion. So, when they were rested, Dorothy

picked up her basket and they started along the grassy bank, to the road from which

the river had carried them. It was a lovely country, with plenty of flowers and fruit

trees and sunshine to cheer them, and had they not felt so sorry for the poor

Scarecrow, they could have been very happy. They walked along as fast as they could,

Dorothy only stopping once to pick 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 upon his 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 Scarecrow until a Stork flew by, who, upon seeing them, stopped to rest at the

water'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 Tin Woodman 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 and looked sharply at the queer party. "I know it,"

returned Dorothy, "but we have lost the Scarecrow, and are wondering 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 the Stork.

"He isn't heavy a bit," said Dorothy eagerly, "for he is stuffed with straw; and if you will

bring him back to us, we shall thank you ever and ever so much." "Well, I'll try," said

the Stork, "but if I find he is too heavy to carry 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 to where the

Scarecrow was perched upon his pole. Then the Stork with her great claws grabbed the

Scarecrow by the arm and carried him up into the air and back to the bank, where

Dorothy and the Lion and the Tin Woodman and Toto were sitting. When the Scarecrow

found himself among his friends again, he was so happy that he hugged them all, even

the Lion and Toto; and as they walked 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 find the 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 my babies are

waiting in the nest for me. I hope you will find the Emerald City and that Oz will help

you." "Thank you," replied Dorothy, and then the kind Stork flew into the air and was

soon out of sight. They walked along listening to the singing of the brightly colored

birds and looking at the lovely flowers which now became so thick that the ground was

carpeted with them. There were big yellow and white and blue 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

spicy scent of the bright flowers. "I suppose so," answered the Scarecrow. "When I

have brains, I shall probably 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 helpless and 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 fewer and fewer of the

other flowers; and soon they found themselves in the midst of a great meadow of

poppies. Now it is well known that when there are many of these flowers together their

odor is so powerful that anyone who breathes it falls asleep, and if the sleeper is not

carried away from the scent of the flowers, he sleeps on and on forever. But Dorothy

did not know this, nor could she get away from the bright red flowers that were

everywhere about; so presently her eyes grew heavy and 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 until Dorothy could stand no longer. Her eyes closed in

spite of herself and she 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 the flowers 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 the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, not being made of flesh, were not

troubled by the scent of the flowers. "Run fast," said the Scarecrow to the Lion, "and

get out of this deadly flower 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 they made a chair with their hands for

the seat and their arms for the arms and carried the sleeping girl between them

through the flowers. On and on they walked, and it seemed that the great carpet of

deadly flowers that surrounded them would never end. They followed the bend of the

river, and at last came upon their friend the Lion, lying fast asleep among the poppies.

The flowers had been too strong for the huge beast and he had given up at last, and

fallen only a short distance from the end of the poppy bed, where the sweet grass

spread in beautiful green fields before them. "We can do nothing for him," said the Tin

Woodman, sadly; "for he is much 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 for one so cowardly. But let us go

on." They carried the sleeping girl to a pretty spot beside the river, far enough from the

poppy field to prevent her breathing any more of the poison of the flowers, and here

they laid her gently on the soft grass and 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 the Scarecrow, as he

stood beside the girl, "for we have come nearly as far as the river carried us away." The

Tin Woodman was about to reply when he heard a low growl, and turning his head

(which worked beautifully on hinges) he saw a strange beast come bounding over the

grass toward them. It was, indeed, a great yellow Wildcat, and the Woodman thought it

must be chasing something, for its ears were lying close to its head and its mouth was

wide open, showing two rows of ugly teeth, while its red eyes glowed like balls of fire.

As it came nearer the Tin Woodman saw that running before the beast was a little gray

field mouse, and although he had no heart he knew it was wrong for the Wildcat to try

to kill such a pretty, harmless creature. So the Woodman raised his axe, and as the

Wildcat ran by he gave it a quick blow that cut the beast's head clean off from its body,

and it rolled 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 no heart, you know, so I am careful

to help all those who may need a friend, even if it happens to be only a mouse." "Only

a mouse!" cried the little animal, indignantly. "Why, I am a Queen-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, in saving my life," added the Queen. At that

moment several mice were seen running up as fast as their little legs could carry them,

and when they saw their Queen they exclaimed: "Oh, your Majesty, we thought you

would be killed! How did you manage to escape the great Wildcat?" They all bowed so

low to the little Queen that they almost stood upon their heads. "This funny tin man,"

she answered, "killed the Wildcat and saved my life. So hereafter you must all serve

him, and obey his slightest wish." "We will!" cried all the mice, in a shrill chorus. And

then they scampered in all directions, for Toto had awakened from his sleep, and seeing

all these mice around him he gave one bark of delight and jumped right into the middle

of the group. Toto had always loved to chase mice 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 not hurt you." At this

the Queen of the Mice stuck her head out from underneath a clump of grass and asked,

in a timid voice, "Are you sure he will not bite 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

have bitten him had he not known very well he was made of tin. Finally one of the

biggest mice spoke. "Is there anything we can do," it asked, "to repay you for saving

the life of our Queen?" "Nothing that I know of," answered the Woodman; but the

Scarecrow, who had been trying to think, but could not because his head was stuffed

with straw, said, quickly, "Oh, yes; you can save our friend, the Cowardly 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 hurt

anyone who is our friend. If you will help us to save him I promise that 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 to obey you?"

"Oh, yes; there are thousands," she replied. "Then send for them all to come here as

soon as possible, and let each one bring a long piece of string." The Queen turned to

the mice that attended her and told them to go at once and get all her people. As soon

as they heard her orders they ran away in every direction as fast as possible. "Now,"

said the Scarecrow to the Tin Woodman, "you must go to those trees 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 soon made a truck out of the limbs of trees, from which he

chopped away all the leaves and branches. He fastened it together with wooden pegs

and made the four wheels out of short pieces of a big tree trunk. So fast and so well did

he work that by the time the mice began to arrive the truck was all ready for them.

They came from all directions, and there were thousands of them: big mice and little

mice and middle-sized mice; and each one brought a piece of string in his mouth. It

was about this time that Dorothy woke from her long sleep and opened her eyes. She

was greatly astonished to find herself lying upon the grass, with thousands of mice

standing around and looking at her timidly. But the Scarecrow told her about

everything, 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 she became quite friendly with the little girl. The Scarecrow and the

Woodman now began to fasten the mice to the truck, using the strings they had

brought. One end of a string was tied around the neck of each mouse and the other end

to the truck. Of course the truck was a thousand times bigger than any of the mice who

were to draw it; but when all the mice had been harnessed, they were able to pull it

quite easily. Even the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman could sit on it, and were drawn

swiftly by their queer little horses to the place where the Lion lay asleep. After a great

deal of hard work, for the Lion was heavy, they managed to get him up on the truck.

Then the Queen hurriedly gave her people the order to start, for she feared if the mice

stayed among the poppies too long they also would fall asleep. At first the little

creatures, many though they were, could hardly stir the heavily loaded truck; but the

Woodman and the Scarecrow both pushed from behind, and they got along better.

Soon they rolled the Lion out of 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 saving her

companion from death. She had grown so fond of the big Lion she was glad he had

been rescued. Then the mice were unharnessed from the truck and scampered away

through the grass to their homes. The Queen of the Mice was the last to leave. "If ever

you need us again," she said, "come out into the field and call, and we shall hear you

and come to your assistance. Good-bye!" "Good-bye!" they all answered, and away the

Queen ran, while Dorothy held Toto tightly lest he should run after her and frighten her.

After this they sat down beside the Lion until he should awaken; and the Scarecrow

brought Dorothy some fruit from a tree near by, which she ate for her dinner.

10. The Guardian of the Gate

It was some time before the Cowardly Lion awakened, for he had lain among 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 glad to find himself still alive. "I ran as fast as I

could," he said, sitting down and yawning, "but the flowers were too strong for me.

How did you get me out?" Then they told him of the field mice, and how they had

generously saved him from death; and the Cowardly Lion laughed, and said: "I have

always thought myself very big and terrible; yet such little things as flowers came near

to killing me, and such small animals as mice have saved my life. How strange it all is!

But, comrades, what shall we do now?" "We must journey on until we find the road of

yellow brick again," said Dorothy, "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 through the soft, fresh grass; and it was not long

before they reached the road of yellow brick and turned again toward the Emerald City

where the Great Oz dwelt. The road was smooth and well paved, now, and the country

about was beautiful, so that the travelers rejoiced in leaving the forest far behind, 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 were painted green, and when they came to a

small house, in which a farmer evidently lived, that also was painted green. They

passed by several of these houses during the afternoon, and sometimes people came to

the doors and looked at them as if they would like to ask questions; but no one came

near them nor spoke to them because of the great Lion, of which they were very much

afraid. The people were all dressed in clothing of a lovely emerald-green color and wore

peaked hats like those of the Munchkins. "This must be the Land of Oz," said Dorothy,

"and we are surely getting near the Emerald City." "Yes," answered the Scarecrow.

"Everything is green here, while in the country of the Munchkins blue was the favorite

color. But the people do not seem to be as friendly as the Munchkins, and I'm afraid we

shall be unable to find a place to pass the night." "I should like something to eat

besides fruit," said the girl, "and I'm sure Toto is nearly starved. Let us stop at the next

house and talk to the people." So, when they came to a good-sized farmhouse, Dorothy

walked boldly up to the door and knocked. A woman opened it just far enough to look

out, and said, "What do you want, child, and why is that great Lion with you?" "We wish

to pass the night with you, if you will allow us," answered Dorothy; "and the Lion is my

friend and comrade, and would not hurt you for 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 be more afraid of you than you are of him." "Well," said the

woman, after thinking it over and taking another peep at the Lion, "if that is the case

you may come in, and I will give you some supper and a place to sleep." So they all

entered the house, where there were, besides the woman, two children and a man. The

man had hurt his leg, and was lying on the couch in a corner. They seemed greatly

surprised to see so strange a company, 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. I have been to the Emerald City many times, and it is a beautiful and

wonderful 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 a Great Wizard, and can take

on any form he wishes. So that some say he looks like a bird; and some say he looks

like an elephant; and some say he looks like a cat. To others he appears as a beautiful

fairy, or a brownie, or in any other form that pleases him. But who the real Oz is, 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, to see 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 more brains 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 large collection 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

running over. 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, and I'm sure it's somewhere."

"Very likely. Well, Oz can do anything; so I suppose he will find Kansas for you. But

first you must get to see him, and that will be a hard task; for the Great Wizard does

not like to see anyone, and he usually has his own way. But what do YOU want?" he

continued, speaking to Toto. Toto only wagged his tail; for, strange to say, he could not

speak. The woman now called to them that supper was ready, so they gathered around

the table and Dorothy ate some delicious porridge and a dish of scrambled 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 it was made from oats and oats were food for horses, not for

lions. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman ate nothing at all. Toto ate a little of

everything, and was glad to get a good supper again. The woman now gave Dorothy a

bed to sleep in, and Toto lay down beside her, while the Lion guarded the door of her

room so she might not be disturbed. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman stood up in a

corner and kept 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 it

seemed that at last they were nearing the end of their travels. Yet it was afternoon

before they came to the great wall that surrounded the City. 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 big gate, all studded with emeralds that glittered so in the sun that even the painted

eyes of the Scarecrow were dazzled by their brilliancy. There was a bell beside the

gate, and Dorothy pushed the button and heard a silvery tinkle sound within. Then the

big gate swung slowly open, and they all passed through and found themselves in a

high arched room, 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 his skin 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 wish in 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 it over. "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 if you come on an idle or foolish errand to bother the

wise reflections of the 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 the Scarecrow; "it is

important. And we have been told that Oz is a good Wizard." "So he is," said the green

man, "and he rules the Emerald City wisely and well. But to those who are not honest,

or who approach him from curiosity, he is most terrible, and few have ever dared ask to

see his face. I am the Guardian of the Gates, and since you demand to see the Great

Oz I must take you to his Palace. But first you must put on the spectacles." "Why?"

asked Dorothy. "Because if you did not wear spectacles the brightness and glory of the

Emerald City would blind you. Even those who live in the City must wear spectacles

night and day. They are all locked on, for Oz so ordered it when the City was first built,

and I have the only key that will unlock them." He opened the big box, and Dorothy

saw that it was filled with spectacles of every size and shape. All of them had green

glasses in them. The Guardian of the Gates found a pair that would just fit Dorothy and

put them over her eyes. There were two golden bands fastened to them that passed

around the back of her head, where they were locked together by a little key that was

at the end of a chain the Guardian of the Gates wore around his neck. When they were

on, Dorothy could not take them off had she wished, but of course she did not wish to

be blinded by the glare of the Emerald City, so she said nothing. Then the green man

fitted spectacles for the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion, and even on

little Toto; and all were locked fast with the key. Then the Guardian of the Gates put on

his own glasses and told them he was ready to show them to the Palace. Taking a big

golden key from a peg on the wall, he opened another gate, and they all followed him

through 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 her friends were at first

dazzled by the brilliancy of the wonderful City. The streets were lined with beautiful

houses all built of green marble and studded everywhere with sparkling emeralds. They

walked over a pavement of the same green marble, and where the blocks were joined

together were rows of emeralds, set closely, and glittering in the brightness of the sun.

The window panes were of green glass; even the sky 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, and these were all dressed in green clothes and had greenish

skins. They looked at Dorothy and her strangely assorted company with wondering

eyes, and the children all ran away and hid behind their mothers when they saw the

Lion; but no one spoke to them. Many shops stood in the street, and Dorothy saw that

everything in them was green. Green candy and green pop corn were offered for sale,

as well as green shoes, green hats, and green clothes of all sorts. At one place a man

was selling green lemonade, and when the children bought it Dorothy could see that

they paid for it with green pennies. There seemed to be no horses nor animals of any

kind; the men carried things 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 came to a big building, exactly in the

middle of the City, which was the Palace 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 they demand to see the Great

Oz." "Step inside," answered the soldier, "and I will carry your message to him." So

they passed through the Palace Gates and were led into a big room with a green carpet

and lovely green furniture set with emeralds. The soldier made them all wipe their feet

upon a green mat before entering this room, and when they were seated he said

politely: "Please make yourselves comfortable while I go to the door of the Throne

Room and tell Oz you are here." They had to wait a long time before the soldier

returned. When, at last, he came back, Dorothy asked: "Have you seen Oz?" "Oh, no,"

returned the soldier; "I have never seen him. But I spoke to him as he sat behind his

screen and gave him your message. He said he will grant you an audience, if you so

desire; but each one of you must enter his presence alone, and he will admit but one

each day. Therefore, as you must remain in the Palace for several days, I will have you

shown to rooms where you may rest in comfort after your journey." "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 lovely green hair and green eyes, and she bowed low before Dorothy as she said,

"Follow me and I will show you your room." So Dorothy said good-bye to all her friends

except Toto, and taking the dog in her arms followed the green girl through seven

passages and up three flights of stairs until they came to a room at the front of the

Palace. It was the sweetest little room in the world, with a soft comfortable bed that

had sheets of green silk and a green velvet counterpane. There was a tiny fountain in

the middle of the room, that shot a spray of green perfume into the air, to fall back into

a beautifully carved green marble basin. Beautiful green flowers stood in 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 queer green pictures that made her laugh, they

were so funny. In a wardrobe were many green dresses, made of silk and satin and

velvet; and all of them fitted Dorothy exactly. "Make yourself perfectly at home," said

the green girl, "and if you wish for anything ring the bell. Oz will send for you tomorrow

morning." She left Dorothy alone and went back to the others. These she also led to

rooms, and each one of them found himself lodged in a very pleasant part of the

Palace. Of course this politeness was wasted on the Scarecrow; for when he found

himself alone in his room he stood stupidly 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; so he

remained all night staring at a little spider which was weaving its web in a corner of the

room, just as if it were not one of the most wonderful rooms in the world. The Tin

Woodman lay down on his bed from force of habit, for he remembered when he was

made of flesh; but not being able to sleep, he passed the night moving his joints up

and down to make sure they kept in good working order. The Lion would have preferred

a bed of dried leaves in the forest, and did not like being shut up in a room; but he had

too much sense to let this worry him, so he sprang upon the bed and rolled himself up

like a cat and purred himself asleep in a minute. The next morning, after breakfast, the

green maiden came to fetch Dorothy, and she dressed her in one of the prettiest

gowns, made of green brocaded satin. Dorothy put on a green silk apron and tied a

green ribbon around Toto's neck, and they started for the Throne Room of the Great

Oz. First they came to a great hall in which were many ladies and gentlemen of the

court, all dressed in rich costumes. These people had nothing to do but talk to each

other, but they always came to wait outside the Throne Room every morning, although

they were never permitted to see Oz. As Dorothy entered they looked at her curiously,

and one of them whispered: "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 to the 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 you came from. Then he asked me what you looked like, and when I

mentioned your silver shoes he was very much interested. At last I told him about the

mark upon your forehead, and he decided he would admit you to his presence." Just

then a bell rang, and the green girl said to Dorothy, "That is the signal. You must go

into the Throne Room alone." She opened a little door and Dorothy walked boldly

through and found herself in a wonderful place. It was a big, round room with a high

arched roof, and the walls and ceiling and floor were covered with large emeralds set

closely together. In the center of the roof was a great light, as bright as the sun, which

made the emeralds sparkle in a wonderful manner. But what interested Dorothy most

was the big throne of green marble that stood in the middle of the room. It was shaped

like a chair and sparkled with gems, as did everything else. In the center of the chair

was an enormous Head, without a body to support it or any arms or legs whatever.

There was no hair upon this head, but it had eyes and a nose and mouth, and was

much bigger than the head of the biggest giant. As Dorothy gazed upon this in wonder

and fear, the eyes turned slowly and looked at her sharply and steadily. Then the

mouth moved, and Dorothy 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 big Head; 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 the voice: "Where did you get the silver shoes?" "I got them from

the Wicked Witch of the East, when my house fell on her 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 me good-bye and sent me to

you," said the girl. Again the eyes looked at her sharply, and they saw she was telling

the truth. Then Oz asked, "What do you wish me to do?" "Send me back to Kansas,

where my Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are," she answered earnestly. "I don't like your

country, although it is so beautiful. And I am sure Aunt Em will be dreadfully worried

over my being away so long." The eyes winked three times, and then they turned up to

the ceiling and down to the floor and rolled around so queerly that they seemed to see

every 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

Wizard and I am only a little girl." "But you were strong enough to kill the Wicked Witch

of the East," said Oz. "That just happened," returned Dorothy simply; "I could not help

it." "Well," said the Head, "I will give you my answer. You have no right to expect me to

send you back to Kansas unless you do something for me in 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 do something 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, which bear a powerful charm. There is now but one

Wicked Witch left in all this land, and when you can tell me she is dead I will send you

back to Kansas-but not before." The little girl began to weep, she was so much

disappointed; and the eyes winked again and looked upon her anxiously, as if the Great

Oz felt that she could help him if she would. "I never killed anything, willingly," she

sobbed. "Even if I wanted to, how could I kill the Wicked Witch? If you, who are Great

and Terrible, 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 the Wicked Witch dies you will not see

your uncle and aunt again. Remember that 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 Lion

and the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were waiting to hear what Oz had said to her.

"There is no hope for me," she said sadly, "for Oz will not send me home until I have

killed the Wicked Witch of the West; and that I can never do." Her friends were sorry,

but could do nothing to help her; so Dorothy went 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 the Scarecrow and said: "Come with me, for Oz has sent for you." So

the Scarecrow followed him and was admitted into the great Throne Room, where he

saw, sitting in the emerald throne, a most lovely Lady. She was dressed in green silk

gauze and wore upon her flowing green locks a crown of jewels. Growing from her

shoulders were wings, gorgeous in color and so light that they fluttered if the slightest

breath of air reached them. When the Scarecrow had bowed, as prettily as his straw

stuffing would let 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 had told him of, was

much astonished; but he answered her bravely. "I am only a Scarecrow, stuffed with

straw. Therefore I have no brains, and I come to you praying that you will put brains in

my head instead of straw, so that I may become as much a man as any other in your

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 I will promise. If you will kill for me the

Wicked Witch of the West, I will bestow upon you a great many brains, and such good

brains that you will be the wisest man in all the Land of Oz." "I thought you asked

Dorothy to kill the Witch," said the Scarecrow, in surprise. "So I did. I don't care who

kills her. But until she is dead I will not grant your wish. Now go, and do not seek me

again until you have earned the brains you so greatly desire." The Scarecrow went

sorrowfully back to his friends and told them what Oz had said; and Dorothy was

surprised to find that the Great Wizard was 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 the Tin

Woodman." On the next morning the soldier with the green whiskers came to the Tin

Woodman and said: "Oz has sent for you. Follow me." So the Tin Woodman followed

him and came to the great Throne Room. He did not know whether he would find Oz a

lovely Lady or a Head, but he hoped it would be the lovely Lady. "For," he said to

himself, "if it is the head, I am sure I shall not be given a heart, since a head has no

heart of its own and therefore cannot feel for me. But if it is the lovely Lady I shall beg

hard for a heart, for all ladies are themselves said to be kindly hearted. But when the

Woodman entered the great Throne Room he saw neither the Head 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 hardly strong enough to hold its weight. The Beast had a

head like that of a rhinoceros, only there were five eyes in its face. There were five long

arms growing out of its body, and it also had five long, slim legs. Thick, woolly hair

covered every part of it, and a more dreadful-looking monster could not be imagined. It

was fortunate the Tin Woodman had no heart at that moment, for it would have beat

loud and fast from terror. But being only tin, the Woodman was not at all afraid,

although he was much disappointed. "I am Oz, the Great and Terrible," spoke the

Beast, in a voice that was one great roar. "Who are you, and why do you seek me?" "I

am a Woodman, and made of tin. Therefore I have no heart, and cannot love. I pray

you to give me a heart that I may be as other men are. " "Why should I do this?"

demanded the Beast. "Because I ask it, and you alone can grant my request,"

answered the Woodman. Oz gave a low growl at this, but said, gruffly: "If you indeed

desire a heart, 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 the biggest and kindest and most loving heart in all the Land of

Oz." So the Tin Woodman was forced to return sorrowfully to his friends and tell them

of the terrible Beast he had seen. They all wondered greatly at the many forms the

Great Wizard could take upon himself, and the Lion said: "If he is a Beast when I go to

see him, I shall roar my loudest, and so frighten him that he will grant all I ask. And if

he is the lovely Lady, I shall pretend to spring upon her, and so compel her to do my

bidding. And if he is the great Head, he will be at my mercy; for I will roll this head all

about the room until he promises to give us what we desire. So be of good cheer, my

friends, for all will yet be well." The next morning the soldier with the green whiskers

led the Lion to the great Throne Room and bade him enter the presence of Oz. The Lion

at once passed through the door, and glancing around saw, to his surprise, that before

the throne was a Ball of Fire, so fierce and glowing he could scarcely bear to gaze upon

it. His first thought was that Oz had by accident caught on fire and was burning up; but

when he tried to go nearer, the heat was so intense that it singed his whiskers, 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 the words 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. I came to you to beg that you give me courage, so that in reality I

may become 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 to

grant my request," answered the Lion. The Ball of Fire burned fiercely for a time, and

the voice said, "Bring me proof that the Wicked Witch is dead, and that moment I will

give you courage. 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, and while he stood silently

gazing at the Ball of Fire it became so furiously hot that he turned tail and rushed from

the room. He was glad to find his friends waiting for him, and told them of his terrible

interview 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 to go to the land of the Winkies,

seek out the Wicked Witch, and destroy her." "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 of 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 green silk gown and spot it."

So Dorothy dried her eyes and said, "I suppose we must try it; but I am sure 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 much help 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 his joints properly oiled.

The Scarecrow stuffed himself with fresh straw and Dorothy put new paint on his eyes

that he might see better. The green girl, who was very kind to them, filled Dorothy's

basket with good things to eat, and fastened a little bell around Toto's neck with a

green ribbon. They went to bed quite early and slept soundly until daylight, when they

were awakened by the crowing of a green cock that lived in the back yard of the Palace,

and the cackling of a hen that had laid a green egg.

12. The Search for the Wicked Witch

The soldier with the green whiskers led them through the streets of the Emerald City

until they reached the room where the Guardian of the Gates lived. This officer

unlocked their spectacles to put them back in 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 ever

wishes 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 in the country of the Winkies she

will find you, and make you all her slaves." "Perhaps not," said the Scarecrow, "for we

mean to destroy her." "Oh, that is different," said the Guardian of the Gates. "No one

has ever destroyed her before, so I naturally thought she would make slaves of you, as

she has of the rest. But take care; for she is wicked and fierce, and may not allow you

to destroy her. Keep to the West, where the 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 daisies and buttercups. Dorothy still wore

the pretty silk dress she had put on in the palace, but now, to her surprise, she found it

was no longer green, but pure white. The ribbon around Toto's neck had also lost its

green color and was as white as Dorothy's dress. The Emerald City was soon left far

behind. As they advanced the ground became rougher and hillier, for there were no

farms nor houses in this country of the West, and the ground was untilled. In the

afternoon the sun shone hot in their faces, for there were no trees to offer them shade;

so that before night Dorothy and Toto and the Lion were tired, and lay down upon the

grass and fell asleep, with the Woodman and the Scarecrow keeping watch. Now the

Wicked Witch of the West had but one eye, yet that was as powerful as a telescope,

and could see everywhere. So, as she sat in the door of her castle, she happened to

look around and saw Dorothy lying asleep, with her friends all about her. They were a

long distance off, but the Wicked Witch was angry to find them in her country; 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 great wolves. 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 the wolves. "No," she

answered, "one is of tin, and one of straw; one is a girl and another a Lion. None of

them is fit to work, so you may tear them into small pieces." "Very well," said the wolf,

and he dashed away at full speed, followed by the others. It was lucky the Scarecrow

and the Woodman were wide awake and heard the wolves coming. "This is my fight,"

said the Woodman, "so get behind me and I will meet them as they come." He seized

his axe, which he had made very sharp, and as the leader of the wolves came on the

Tin Woodman swung his arm and chopped the wolf's head from its body, so that it

immediately died. As soon as he could raise his axe another wolf came up, and he also

fell under the sharp edge of the Tin Woodman's weapon. There were forty wolves, and

forty times a wolf was killed, so that at last they all lay dead in a heap before the

Woodman. Then he put down his axe and sat beside the Scarecrow, who said, "It was a

good fight, friend." They waited until Dorothy awoke the next morning. The little girl

was quite frightened when she saw the great pile of shaggy wolves, but the Tin

Woodman told her all. She thanked him for saving them and sat down to breakfast,

after which they started again upon their journey. Now this same morning the Wicked

Witch came to the door of her castle and looked out with her one eye that could see far

off. She saw all her wolves lying dead, and the strangers still traveling through her

country. This made her angrier than before, and she blew her silver whistle twice.

Straightway a great flock of wild crows came flying toward her, enough to darken the

sky. And the Wicked Witch said to the King Crow, "Fly at once to the strangers; peck

out their eyes and tear them to pieces." The wild crows flew in one great flock toward

Dorothy and her companions. When the little girl saw them coming she was afraid. But

the Scarecrow said, "This is my battle, so lie down beside me and you will not be

harmed." So they all lay upon the ground except the Scarecrow, and he stood up and

stretched out his arms. And when the crows saw him they were frightened, as these

birds always are by scarecrows, and did not dare to 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 and twisted its neck until it died. And then

another crow flew at him, and the Scarecrow twisted its neck also. There were forty

crows, and forty times the Scarecrow twisted a neck, until at last all were lying dead

beside him. Then he called to his companions to rise, and again they went upon their

journey. When the Wicked Witch looked out again and saw all her crows lying in a

heap, she got into a terrible rage, and blew three times upon her silver whistle.

Forthwith there was heard a great buzzing in the air, and a swarm of black bees came

flying toward her. "Go to the strangers and sting them to death!" commanded the

Witch, and the bees turned and flew rapidly until they came to where Dorothy and her

friends were walking. But the Woodman had seen them coming, and the Scarecrow had

decided what to do. "Take out my straw and scatter it over the little girl and the dog

and the 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 held Toto in her arms, the

straw covered them entirely. The bees came and found no one but the Woodman to

sting, so they flew at him and broke off all their stings against the tin, without hurting

the Woodman at all. And as bees cannot live when their stings are broken that was the

end of the black bees, and they lay scattered thick about the Woodman, like little heaps

of fine coal. Then Dorothy and the Lion got up, and the girl helped the Tin Woodman

put the straw back into the Scarecrow again, until he was as good as ever. So they

started upon their journey once more. The Wicked Witch was so angry when she saw

her black bees in little heaps like fine coal that she stamped her foot and tore her hair

and gnashed her teeth. And then she called a dozen of her slaves, who were the

Winkies, and gave them sharp spears, telling them to go to the strangers and destroy

them. The Winkies were not a brave people, but they had to do as they were told. So

they marched away until they came near to Dorothy. Then the Lion gave a great roar

and sprang towards them, and the poor Winkies were so frightened that they ran back

as fast as they could. When they returned to the castle the Wicked Witch beat them

well with a strap, and sent them back to their work, after which she sat down to think

what she should do next. She could not understand how all her plans to destroy these

strangers had failed; but she was a powerful Witch, as well as a wicked one, and she

soon made up her mind how to act. There was, in her cupboard, a Golden Cap, with a

circle of diamonds and rubies running round it. This Golden Cap had a charm. Whoever

owned it could call three times upon the Winged Monkeys, who would obey any order

they were given. But no person could command these strange creatures more than

three times. Twice already the Wicked Witch had used the charm of the Cap. Once was

when she had made the Winkies her slaves, and set herself to rule over their country.

The Winged Monkeys had helped her do this. The second time was when she had

fought against the Great Oz himself, and driven him out of the land of the West. The

Winged Monkeys had also helped her in doing this. Only once more could she use this

Golden Cap, for which reason she did not like to do so until all her other powers were

exhausted. But now that her fierce wolves and her wild crows and her stinging bees

were gone, and her slaves had been scared away by the Cowardly Lion, she saw there

was only one way left to destroy Dorothy and her friends. So the Wicked Witch took the

Golden Cap from her cupboard and placed it upon 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 rumbling sound was heard in the air. There was a rushing of many wings, a great

chattering and laughing, and the sun came out of the dark sky to show the Wicked

Witch surrounded by a crowd of monkeys, each with a pair of immense and powerful

wings on his shoulders. One, much bigger than the others, seemed to be their leader.

He flew close to the Witch and said, "You have called us for the third and last time.

What do you command?" "Go to the strangers who are within my land and destroy

them all except the Lion," said the Wicked Witch. "Bring that beast to me, for I have a

mind to harness him like a horse, and make him work." "Your commands shall be

obeyed," said the leader. Then, with a great deal of chattering and noise, the Winged

Monkeys flew away to the place where Dorothy and her friends were walking. Some of

the Monkeys seized the Tin Woodman and carried him through the air until they were

over a country thickly covered with sharp rocks. Here they dropped the poor Woodman,

who fell a great distance to the rocks, where he lay so battered and dented that he

could neither move nor groan. Others of the Monkeys caught the Scarecrow, and with

their long fingers pulled all of the straw out of his clothes and head. They made his hat

and boots and clothes into a small bundle and threw it into the top branches of a tall

tree. The remaining Monkeys threw pieces of stout rope around the Lion and wound

many coils about his body and head and legs, until he was unable to bite or scratch or

struggle in any way. Then they lifted him up and flew away with him to the Witch's

castle, where he was placed in a small yard with a high iron fence around it, so that he

could not escape. But Dorothy they did not harm at all. She stood, with Toto in her

arms, watching the sad fate of her comrades and thinking it would soon be her turn.

The leader of the Winged Monkeys flew up to her, his long, hairy arms stretched out

and his ugly face grinning terribly; but he saw the mark of the Good Witch's kiss upon

her forehead and stopped short, motioning the others not to touch her. "We dare not

harm this little girl," he said to them, "for she is protected by the Power of Good, and

that is greater than the Power of Evil. All we can do is to carry her to the castle of the

Wicked Witch and leave her there." So, carefully and gently, they lifted Dorothy in their

arms and carried her swiftly through the air until they came to the castle, where they

set her down upon the front doorstep. Then the leader said to the Witch: "We have

obeyed you as far as we were able. The Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow are

destroyed, and the Lion is tied up in your yard. The little 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

and noise, flew into the air and were soon out of sight. The Wicked Witch was both

surprised and worried when she saw the mark on Dorothy's forehead, for she knew well

that neither the Winged Monkeys nor she, herself, dare hurt the girl in any way. She

looked down at Dorothy's feet, and seeing the Silver Shoes, began to tremble with fear,

for she knew what a powerful charm belonged to them. At first the Witch was tempted

to run away from Dorothy; but she happened to look into the child's eyes and saw how

simple the soul behind them was, and that the little girl did not know of the wonderful

power the Silver Shoes gave her. So the Wicked Witch laughed to herself, and thought,

"I can still make her my slave, for she does not know how to use her power." Then she

said to Dorothy, harshly and severely: "Come with me; and see that you mind

everything I tell you, for if you do not I will make an end of you, as I did of the Tin

Woodman and the Scarecrow." Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful

rooms in her castle until they came to the kitchen, where the Witch bade her clean the

pots and 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 as she could; for she was glad

the Wicked Witch had decided not to kill her. With Dorothy hard at work, the Witch

thought she would go into the courtyard and harness the Cowardly Lion like a horse; it

would amuse her, she was sure, to make him draw her chariot whenever she wished to

go to drive. But as she opened the gate the Lion gave a loud roar and bounded at her

so fiercely that the Witch was afraid, and ran out and shut the gate again. "If I cannot

harness you," said the Witch to the Lion, speaking through the bars of the gate, "I can

starve you. You shall have nothing to eat until you do as I wish." So after that she took

no food to the imprisoned Lion; but every day she came to the gate at noon and asked,

"Are you ready to be harnessed like a horse?" And the Lion would answer, "No. If you

come in this yard, I will bite you." The reason the Lion did not have to do as the Witch

wished was that every night, while the woman was asleep, Dorothy carried him food

from the cupboard. After he had eaten he would lie down on his bed of straw, 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 some way 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 the slaves of the Wicked Witch and too afraid of her not to do as she told them.

The girl had to work hard during the day, and often the Witch threatened to beat her

with the same old umbrella she always carried in her hand. But, in truth, she did not

dare to strike Dorothy, because of the mark upon her forehead. The child did not know

this, and was full of fear for herself and Toto. Once the Witch struck Toto a blow with

her umbrella and the brave little dog flew at her and bit her leg in return. The Witch did

not bleed where she was bitten, for she was so 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

would be harder than ever to get back to Kansas and Aunt Em again. Sometimes she

would cry bitterly for hours, with Toto sitting at her feet and looking into her face,

whining dismally to show how sorry he was for his little mistress. Toto did not really

care whether he was in Kansas or the Land of Oz so long as Dorothy was with him; but

he knew the little girl was unhappy, and that made him unhappy too. Now the Wicked

Witch had a great longing to have for her own the Silver Shoes which the girl always

wore. Her bees and her crows and her wolves were lying in heaps and drying up, and

she had used up all the power of the Golden Cap; but if she could only get hold of the

Silver Shoes, they would give her more power than all the other things she had lost.

She watched Dorothy carefully, to see if she ever took off her shoes, thinking she might

steal them. But the child was so proud of her pretty shoes that she never took them off

except at night and when she took her bath. The Witch was too much afraid of the dark

to dare go in Dorothy's room at night to take the shoes, and her dread of water was

greater than her fear of the dark, so she never came near when Dorothy was bathing.

Indeed, the old Witch never touched water, nor ever let water touch her in any way.

But the wicked creature was very cunning, and she finally thought of a trick that would

give her what she wanted. She placed a bar of iron in the middle of the kitchen floor,

and then by her magic arts made the iron invisible to human eyes. So that when

Dorothy walked across the floor she stumbled over the bar, not being able to see it,

and fell at full length. She was not much hurt, but in her fall one of the Silver Shoes

came off; and before she could reach it, the Witch had snatched it away and put it on

her own skinny foot. The wicked woman was greatly pleased with the success of her

trick, for as long as she had one of the shoes she owned half the power of their charm,

and Dorothy could not use it against her, even had she known how to do so. The little

girl, seeing she had lost one of her pretty shoes, grew angry, and said to the Witch,

"Give me back my shoe!" "I will not," retorted the Witch, "for it is now my shoe, and

not yours." "You are a wicked creature!" cried Dorothy. "You have no right to take my

shoe from me." "I shall keep it, just the same," said the Witch, laughing at her, "and

someday I shall get the other one from you, too." This made Dorothy so very angry

that she picked up the bucket of water that stood near and dashed it over the Witch,

wetting her from head to foot. Instantly the wicked woman gave a loud cry of fear, and

then, as Dorothy looked at her in wonder, the Witch began to shrink and fall away.

"See what you have done!" she screamed. "In a minute I shall melt away." "I'm very

sorry, indeed," said Dorothy, who was truly frightened to see the 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 a wailing, despairing voice. "Of course not," answered

Dorothy. "How should I?" "Well, in a few minutes I shall be all melted, and you will

have the castle to yourself. I have been wicked in my day, but I never thought a little

girl like you would ever be able to melt me and end my wicked deeds. Look out-here I

go!" With these words the Witch fell down in a brown, melted, shapeless mass and

began to spread over the clean boards of the kitchen floor. Seeing that she had really

melted away to nothing, Dorothy drew another bucket of water and threw it over the

mess. She then swept it all out the door. After picking out the silver shoe, which was all

that was left of the old woman, she cleaned and dried it with a cloth, and put it on her

foot again. Then, being at last free to do as she chose, she ran out to the courtyard to

tell the Lion that the Wicked Witch of the West had come to an end, and that they were

no longer prisoners in a strange land.

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!"