tootapalooza/text/pg22566.txt

It's no use; no use at all. The children won't let me stop telling tales
of the Land of Oz. I know lots of other stories, and I hope to tell
them, some time or another; but just now my loving tyrants won't allow
me. They cry: "Oz--Oz! more about Oz, Mr. Baum!" and what can I do but
obey their commands?
This is Our Book--mine and the children's. For they have flooded me with
thousands of suggestions in regard to it, and I have honestly tried to
adopt as many of these suggestions as could be fitted into one story.
After the wonderful success of "Ozma of Oz" it is evident that Dorothy
has become a firm fixture in these Oz stories. The little ones all love
Dorothy, and as one of my small friends aptly states: "It isn't a real
Oz story without her." So here she is again, as sweet and gentle and
innocent as ever, I hope, and the heroine of another strange adventure.
There were many requests from my little correspondents for "more about
the Wizard." It seems the jolly old fellow made hosts of friends in the
first Oz book, in spite of the fact that he frankly acknowledged himself
"a humbug." The children had heard how he mounted into the sky in a
balloon and they were all waiting for him to come down again. So what
could I do but tell "what happened to the Wizard afterward"? You will
find him in these pages, just the same humbug Wizard as before.
There was one thing the children demanded which I found it impossible to
do in this present book: they bade me introduce Toto, Dorothy's little
black dog, who has many friends among my readers. But you will see, when
you begin to read the story, that Toto was in Kansas while Dorothy was
in California, and so she had to start on her adventure without him. In
this book Dorothy had to take her kitten with her instead of her dog;
but in the next Oz book, if I am permitted to write one, I intend to
tell a good deal about Toto's further history.
Princess Ozma, whom I love as much as my readers do, is again introduced
in this story, and so are several of our old friends of Oz. You will
also become acquainted with Jim the Cab-Horse, the Nine Tiny Piglets,
and Eureka, the Kitten. I am sorry the kitten was not as well behaved as
she ought to have been; but perhaps she wasn't brought up properly.
Dorothy found her, you see, and who her parents were nobody knows.
I believe, my dears, that I am the proudest story-teller that ever
lived. Many a time tears of pride and joy have stood in my eyes while I
read the tender, loving, appealing letters that come to me in almost
every mail from my little readers. To have pleased you, to have
interested you, to have won your friendship, and perhaps your love,
through my stories, is to my mind as great an achievement as to become
President of the United States. Indeed, I would much rather be your
story-teller, under these conditions, than to be the President. So you
have helped me to fulfill my life's ambition, and I am more grateful to
you, my dears, than I can express in words.
I try to answer every letter of my young correspondents; yet sometimes
there are so many letters that a little time must pass before you get
your answer. But be patient, friends, for the answer will surely come,
and by writing to me you more than repay me for the pleasant task of
preparing these books. Besides, I am proud to acknowledge that the books
are partly yours, for your suggestions often guide me in telling the
stories, and I am sure they would not be half so good without your
clever and thoughtful assistance.
CHAPTER 1.
THE EARTHQUAKE
The train from 'Frisco was very late. It should have arrived at Hugson's
siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the gray dawn
was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled up to the
open shed that served for the station-house. As it came to a stop the
conductor called out in a loud voice:
"Hugson's Siding!"
At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm. The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track. The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers. So he
moved the cars slowly and with caution.
The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.
The shed at Hugson's Siding was bare save for an old wooden bench, and
did not look very inviting. As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any person
in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and buggy
standing near a group of trees a short distance away. She walked toward
it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless, with its
head hanging down almost to the ground. It was a big horse, tall and
bony, with long legs and large knees and feet. She could count his ribs
easily where they showed through the skin of his body, and his head was
long and seemed altogether too big for him, as if it did not fit. His
tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been broken in many
places and fastened together again with cords and bits of wire. The
buggy seemed almost new, for it had a shiny top and side curtains.
Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the girl saw a
boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.
She set down the bird-cage and poked the boy with her parasol. Presently
he woke up, rose to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes briskly.
"Hello!" he said, seeing her, "are you Dorothy Gale?"
"Yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking
gray eyes. "Have you come to take me to Hugson's Ranch?"
"Of course," he answered. "Train in?"
"I couldn't be here if it wasn't," she said.
He laughed at that, and his laugh was merry and frank. Jumping out of
the buggy he put Dorothy's suit-case under the seat and her bird-cage on
the floor in front.
"Canary-birds?" he asked.
"Oh, no; it's just Eureka, my kitten. I thought that was the best way to
carry her."
The boy nodded.
"Eureka's a funny name for a cat," he remarked.
"I named my kitten that because I found it," she explained. "Uncle Henry
says 'Eureka' means 'I have found it.'"
"All right; hop in."
She climbed into the buggy and he followed her. Then the boy picked up
the reins, shook them, and said "Gid-dap!"
The horse did not stir. Dorothy thought he just wiggled one of his
drooping ears, but that was all.
"Gid-dap!" called the boy, again.
The horse stood still.
"Perhaps," said Dorothy, "if you untied him, he would go."
The boy laughed cheerfully and jumped out.
"Guess I'm half asleep yet," he said, untying the horse. "But Jim knows
his business all right--don't you, Jim?" patting the long nose of the
animal.
Then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at
once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot
down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light.
"Thought that train would never come," observed the boy. "I've waited at
that station for five hours."
"We had a lot of earthquakes," said Dorothy. "Didn't you feel the ground
shake?"
"Yes; but we're used to such things in California," he replied. "They
don't scare us much."
"The conductor said it was the worst quake he ever knew."
"Did he? Then it must have happened while I was asleep," he said,
thoughtfully.
"How is Uncle Henry?" she enquired, after a pause during which the horse
continued to trot with long, regular strides.
"He's pretty well. He and Uncle Hugson have been having a fine visit."
"Is Mr. Hugson your uncle?" she asked.
"Yes. Uncle Bill Hugson married your Uncle Henry's wife's sister; so we
must be second cousins," said the boy, in an amused tone. "I work for
Uncle Bill on his ranch, and he pays me six dollars a month and my
board."
"Isn't that a great deal?" she asked, doubtfully.
"Why, it's a great deal for Uncle Hugson, but not for me. I'm a splendid
worker. I work as well as I sleep," he added, with a laugh.
"What is your name?" asked Dorothy, thinking she liked the boy's manner
and the cheery tone of his voice.
"Not a very pretty one," he answered, as if a little ashamed. "My whole
name is Zebediah; but folks just call me 'Zeb.' You've been to
Australia, haven't you?"
"Yes; with Uncle Henry," she answered. "We got to San Francisco a week
ago, and Uncle Henry went right on to Hugson's Ranch for a visit while I
stayed a few days in the city with some friends we had met."
"How long will you be with us?" he asked.
"Only a day. Tomorrow Uncle Henry and I must start back for Kansas.
We've been away for a long time, you know, and so we're anxious to get
home again."
The boy flicked the big, boney horse with his whip and looked
thoughtful. Then he started to say something to his little companion,
but before he could speak the buggy began to sway dangerously from side
to side and the earth seemed to rise up before them. Next minute there
was a roar and a sharp crash, and at her side Dorothy saw the ground
open in a wide crack and then come together again.
"Goodness!" she cried, grasping the iron rail of the seat. "What was
that?"
"That was an awful big quake," replied Zeb, with a white face. "It
almost got us that time, Dorothy."
The horse had stopped short, and stood firm as a rock. Zeb shook the
reins and urged him to go, but Jim was stubborn. Then the boy cracked
his whip and touched the animal's flanks with it, and after a low moan
of protest Jim stepped slowly along the road.
Neither the boy nor the girl spoke again for some minutes. There was a
breath of danger in the very air, and every few moments the earth would
shake violently. Jim's ears were standing erect upon his head and every
muscle of his big body was tense as he trotted toward home. He was not
going very fast, but on his flanks specks of foam began to appear and at
times he would tremble like a leaf.
The sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds as
it swept over the valley.
Suddenly there was a rending, tearing sound, and the earth split into
another great crack just beneath the spot where the horse was standing.
With a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit, drawing
the buggy and its occupants after him.
Dorothy grabbed fast hold of the buggy top and the boy did the same. The
sudden rush into space confused them so that they could not think.
Blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they
waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for
the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its
dreadful depths.
The horrible sensation of falling, the darkness and the terrifying
noises, proved more than Dorothy could endure and for a few moments the
little girl lost consciousness. Zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but he
was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip,
expecting every moment would be his last.

CHAPTER 2.
THE GLASS CITY
When Dorothy recovered her senses they were still falling, but not so
fast. The top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an
umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated
downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to bear.
The worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this great
crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was about to
overtake them at any moment. Crash after crash echoed far above their
heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and stones and
chunks of clay rattled around them on every side. These they could not
see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and Jim screamed
almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and struck his
boney body. They did not really hurt the poor horse, because everything
was falling together; only the stones and rubbish fell faster than the
horse and buggy, which were held back by the pressure of the air, so
that the terrified animal was actually more frightened than he was
injured.
How long this state of things continued Dorothy could not even guess,
she was so greatly bewildered. But bye and bye, as she stared ahead into
the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the form of
the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his long legs
sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space. Also, turning
her head, she found that she could see the boy beside her, who had until
now remained as still and silent as she herself.
Dorothy sighed and commenced to breathe easier. She began to realize
that death was not in store for her, after all, but that she had merely
started upon another adventure, which promised to be just as queer and
unusual as were those she had before encountered.
With this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over
the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from.
Far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air.
The central and largest one was white, and reminded her of the sun.
Around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five
brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one
blue and one orange. This splendid group of colored suns sent rays
darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with Dorothy and
Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays
began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more
and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly
illuminated.
Dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of Jim's big ears
turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail should
be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the stripes of
a zebra. Then she looked at Zeb, whose face was blue and whose hair was
pink, and gave a little laugh that sounded a bit nervous.
"Isn't it funny?" she said.
The boy was startled and his eyes were big. Dorothy had a green streak
through the center of her face where the blue and yellow lights came
together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright.
"I--I don't s-s-see any-thing funny--'bout it!" he stammered.
Just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the
horse tipping also. But they continued to fall, all together, and the
boy and girl had no difficulty in remaining upon the seat, just as they
were before. Then they turned bottom side up, and continued to roll
slowly over until they were right side up again. During this time Jim
struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding
himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of
voice:
"Well, that's better!"
Dorothy and Zeb looked at one another in wonder.
"Can your horse talk?" she asked.
"Never knew him to, before," replied the boy.
"Those were the first words I ever said," called out the horse, who had
overheard them, "and I can't explain why I happened to speak then. This
is a nice scrape you've got me into, isn't it?"
"As for that, we are in the same scrape ourselves," answered Dorothy,
cheerfully. "But never mind; something will happen pretty soon."
"Of course," growled the horse; "and then we shall be sorry it
happened."
Zeb gave a shiver. All this was so terrible and unreal that he could not
understand it at all, and so had good reason to be afraid.
Swiftly they drew near to the flaming colored suns, and passed close
beside them. The light was then so bright that it dazzled their eyes,
and they covered their faces with their hands to escape being blinded.
There was no heat in the colored suns, however, and after they had
passed below them the top of the buggy shut out many of the piercing
rays so that the boy and girl could open their eyes again.
"We've got to come to the bottom some time," remarked Zeb, with a deep
sigh. "We can't keep falling forever, you know."
"Of course not," said Dorothy. "We are somewhere in the middle of the
earth, and the chances are we'll reach the other side of it before long.
But it's a big hollow, isn't it?"
"Awful big!" answered the boy.
"We're coming to something now," announced the horse.
At this they both put their heads over the side of the buggy and looked
down. Yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away, either.
But they were floating very, very slowly--so slowly that it could no
longer be called a fall--and the children had ample time to take heart
and look about them.
They saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very
like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly
colored by the variegated lights from the six suns. Here and there were
groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they sparkled
so brightly.
"I'm sure we are in no danger," said Dorothy, in a sober voice. "We are
falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land, and
this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty."
"We'll never get home again, though!" declared Zeb, with a groan.
"Oh, I'm not so sure of that," replied the girl. "But don't let us worry
over such things, Zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you know, and
I've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble."
The boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and soon
both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread out
below them. They seemed to be falling right into the middle of a big
city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and sharp-pointed
spires. These spires were like great spear-points, and if they tumbled
upon one of them they were likely to suffer serious injury.
Jim the horse had seen these spires, also, and his ears stood straight
up with fear, while Dorothy and Zeb held their breaths in suspense. But
no; they floated gently down upon a broad, flat roof, and came to a stop
at last.
When Jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs
trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but Zeb at once leaped out
of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he kicked
over Dorothy's birdcage, which rolled out upon the roof so that the
bottom came off. At once a pink kitten crept out of the upset cage, sat
down upon the glass roof, and yawned and blinked its round eyes.
"Oh," said Dorothy. "There's Eureka."
"First time I ever saw a pink cat," said Zeb.
"Eureka isn't pink; she's white. It's this queer light that gives her
that color."
"Where's my milk?" asked the kitten, looking up into Dorothy's face.
"I'm 'most starved to death."
"Oh, Eureka! Can you talk?"
"Talk! Am I talking? Good gracious, I believe I am. Isn't it funny?"
asked the kitten.
"It's all wrong," said Zeb, gravely. "Animals ought not to talk. But
even old Jim has been saying things since we had our accident."
"I can't see that it's wrong," remarked Jim, in his gruff tones. "At
least, it isn't as wrong as some other things. What's going to become of
us now?"
"I don't know," answered the boy, looking around him curiously.
The houses of the city were all made of glass, so clear and transparent
that one could look through the walls as easily as though a window.
Dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used
for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of queer
forms huddled into the corners of these rooms.
The roof beside them had a great hole smashed through it, and pieces of
glass were lying scattered in every direction. A near by steeple had
been broken off short and the fragments lay heaped beside it. Other
buildings were cracked in places or had corners chipped off from them;
but they must have been very beautiful before these accidents had
happened to mar their perfection. The rainbow tints from the colored
suns fell upon the glass city softly and gave to the buildings many
delicate, shifting hues which were very pretty to see.
But not a sound had broken the stillness since the strangers had
arrived, except that of their own voices. They began to wonder if there
were no people to inhabit this magnificent city of the inner world.
Suddenly a man appeared through a hole in the roof next to the one they
were on and stepped into plain view. He was not a very large man, but
was well formed and had a beautiful face--calm and serene as the face of
a fine portrait. His clothing fitted his form snugly and was gorgeously
colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the sunbeams
touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.
The man had taken a step or two across the glass roof before he noticed
the presence of the strangers; but then he stopped abruptly. There was
no expression of either fear or surprise upon his tranquil face, yet he
must have been both astonished and afraid; for after his eyes had rested
upon the ungainly form of the horse for a moment he walked rapidly to
the furthest edge of the roof, his head turned back over his shoulder to
gaze at the strange animal.
"Look out!" cried Dorothy, who noticed that the beautiful man did not
look where he was going; "be careful, or you'll fall off!"
But he paid no attention to her warning. He reached the edge of the tall
roof, stepped one foot out into the air, and walked into space as calmly
as if he were on firm ground.
The girl, greatly astonished, ran to lean over the edge of the roof, and
saw the man walking rapidly through the air toward the ground. Soon he
reached the street and disappeared through a glass doorway into one of
the glass buildings.
"How strange!" she exclaimed, drawing a long breath.
"Yes; but it's lots of fun, if it _is_ strange," remarked the small
voice of the kitten, and Dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the
air a foot or so away from the edge of the roof.
"Come back, Eureka!" she called, in distress, "you'll certainly be
killed."
"I have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked around
in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but I can't lose even one
of them by falling in this country, because I really couldn't manage to
fall if I wanted to."
"Does the air bear up your weight?" asked the girl.
"Of course; can't you see?" and again the kitten wandered into the air
and back to the edge of the roof.
"It's wonderful!" said Dorothy.
"Suppose we let Eureka go down to the street and get some one to help
us," suggested Zeb, who had been even more amazed than Dorothy at these
strange happenings.
"Perhaps we can walk on the air ourselves," replied the girl.
Zeb drew back with a shiver.
"I wouldn't dare try," he said.
"May be Jim will go," continued Dorothy, looking at the horse.
"And may be he won't!" answered Jim. "I've tumbled through the air long
enough to make me contented on this roof."
"But we didn't tumble to the roof," said the girl; "by the time we
reached here we were floating very slowly, and I'm almost sure we could
float down to the street without getting hurt. Eureka walks on the air
all right."
"Eureka weighs only about half a pound," replied the horse, in a
scornful tone, "while I weigh about half a ton."
"You don't weigh as much as you ought to, Jim," remarked the girl,
shaking her head as she looked at the animal. "You're dreadfully
skinny."
"Oh, well; I'm old," said the horse, hanging his head despondently, "and
I've had lots of trouble in my day, little one. For a good many years I
drew a public cab in Chicago, and that's enough to make anyone skinny."
"He eats enough to get fat, I'm sure," said the boy, gravely.
"Do I? Can you remember any breakfast that I've had today?" growled Jim,
as if he resented Zeb's speech.
"None of us has had breakfast," said the boy; "and in a time of danger
like this it's foolish to talk about eating."
"Nothing is more dangerous than being without food," declared the horse,
with a sniff at the rebuke of his young master; "and just at present no
one can tell whether there are any oats in this queer country or not. If
there are, they are liable to be glass oats!"
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I can see plenty of nice gardens and
fields down below us, at the edge of this city. But I wish we could find
a way to get to the ground."
"Why don't you walk down?" asked Eureka. "I'm as hungry as the horse is,
and I want my milk."
"Will you try it, Zeb" asked the girl, turning to her companion.
Zeb hesitated. He was still pale and frightened, for this dreadful
adventure had upset him and made him nervous and worried. But he did not
wish the little girl to think him a coward, so he advanced slowly to the
edge of the roof.
Dorothy stretched out a hand to him and Zeb put one foot out and let it
rest in the air a little over the edge of the roof. It seemed firm
enough to walk upon, so he took courage and put out the other foot.
Dorothy kept hold of his hand and followed him, and soon they were both
walking through the air, with the kitten frisking beside them.
"Come on, Jim!" called the boy. "It's all right."
Jim had crept to the edge of the roof to look over, and being a sensible
horse and quite experienced, he made up his mind that he could go where
the others did. So, with a snort and a neigh and a whisk of his short
tail he trotted off the roof into the air and at once began floating
downward to the street. His great weight made him fall faster than the
children walked, and he passed them on the way down; but when he came to
the glass pavement he alighted upon it so softly that he was not even
jarred.
"Well, well!" said Dorothy, drawing a long breath, "What a strange
country this is."
People began to come out of the glass doors to look at the new arrivals,
and pretty soon quite a crowd had assembled. There were men and women,
but no children at all, and the folks were all beautifully formed and
attractively dressed and had wonderfully handsome faces. There was not
an ugly person in all the throng, yet Dorothy was not especially pleased
by the appearance of these people because their features had no more
expression than the faces of dolls. They did not smile nor did they
frown, or show either fear or surprise or curiosity or friendliness.
They simply stared at the strangers, paying most attention to Jim and
Eureka, for they had never before seen either a horse or a cat and the
children bore an outward resemblance to themselves.
Pretty soon a man joined the group who wore a glistening star in the
dark hair just over his forehead. He seemed to be a person of authority,
for the others pressed back to give him room. After turning his composed
eyes first upon the animals and then upon the children he said to Zeb,
who was a little taller than Dorothy:
"Tell me, intruder, was it you who caused the Rain of Stones?"
For a moment the boy did not know what he meant by this question. Then,
remembering the stones that had fallen with them and passed them long
before they had reached this place, he answered:
"No, sir; we didn't cause anything. It was the earthquake."
The man with the star stood for a time quietly thinking over this
speech. Then he asked:
"What is an earthquake?"
"I don't know," said Zeb, who was still confused. But Dorothy, seeing
his perplexity, answered:
"It's a shaking of the earth. In this quake a big crack opened and we
fell through--horse and buggy, and all--and the stones got loose and
came down with us."
The man with the star regarded her with his calm, expressionless eyes.
"The Rain of Stones has done much damage to our city," he said; "and we
shall hold you responsible for it unless you can prove your innocence."
"How can we do that?" asked the girl.
"That I am not prepared to say. It is your affair, not mine. You must
go to the House of the Sorcerer, who will soon discover the truth."
"Where is the House of the Sorcerer?" the girl enquired.
"I will lead you to it. Come!"
He turned and walked down the street, and after a moment's hesitation
Dorothy caught Eureka in her arms and climbed into the buggy. The boy
took his seat beside her and said: "Gid-dap, Jim."
As the horse ambled along, drawing the buggy, the people of the glass
city made way for them and formed a procession in their rear. Slowly
they moved down one street and up another, turning first this way and
then that, until they came to an open square in the center of which was
a big glass palace having a central dome and four tall spires on each
corner.
CHAPTER 3.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE WIZARD
The doorway of the glass palace was quite big enough for the horse and
buggy to enter, so Zeb drove straight through it and the children found
themselves in a lofty hall that was very beautiful. The people at once
followed and formed a circle around the sides of the spacious room,
leaving the horse and buggy and the man with the star to occupy the
center of the hall.
"Come to us, oh, Gwig!" called the man, in a loud voice.
Instantly a cloud of smoke appeared and rolled over the floor; then it
slowly spread and ascended into the dome, disclosing a strange personage
seated upon a glass throne just before Jim's nose. He was formed just as
were the other inhabitants of this land and his clothing only differed
from theirs in being bright yellow. But he had no hair at all, and all
over his bald head and face and upon the backs of his hands grew sharp
thorns like those found on the branches of rose-bushes. There was even a
thorn upon the tip of his nose and he looked so funny that Dorothy
laughed when she saw him.
The Sorcerer, hearing the laugh, looked toward the little girl with
cold, cruel eyes, and his glance made her grow sober in an instant.
"Why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded
Land of the Mangaboos?" he asked, sternly.
"'Cause we couldn't help it," said Dorothy.
"Why did you wickedly and viciously send the Rain of Stones to crack and
break our houses?" he continued.
"We didn't," declared the girl.
"Prove it!" cried the Sorcerer.
"We don't have to prove it," answered Dorothy, indignantly. "If you had
any sense at all you'd known it was the earthquake."
"We only know that yesterday came a Rain of Stones upon us, which did
much damage and injured some of our people. Today came another Rain of
Stones, and soon after it you appeared among us."
"By the way," said the man with the star, looking steadily at the
Sorcerer, "you told us yesterday that there would not be a second Rain
of Stones. Yet one has just occurred that was even worse than the first.
What is your sorcery good for if it cannot tell us the truth?"
"My sorcery does tell the truth!" declared the thorn-covered man. "I
said there would be but one Rain of Stones. This second one was a Rain
of People-and-Horse-and-Buggy. And some stones came with them."
"Will there be any more Rains?" asked the man with the star.
"No, my Prince."
"Neither stones nor people?"
"No, my Prince."
"Are you sure?"
"Quite sure, my Prince. My sorcery tells me so."
Just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the Prince
after making a low bow.
"More wonders in the air, my Lord," said he.
Immediately the Prince and all of his people flocked out of the hall
into the street, that they might see what was about to happen. Dorothy
and Zeb jumped out of the buggy and ran after them, but the Sorcerer
remained calmly in his throne.
Far up in the air was an object that looked like a balloon. It was not
so high as the glowing star of the six colored suns, but was descending
slowly through the air--so slowly that at first it scarcely seemed to
move.
The throng stood still and waited. It was all they could do, for to go
away and leave that strange sight was impossible; nor could they hurry
its fall in any way. The earth children were not noticed, being so near
the average size of the Mangaboos, and the horse had remained in the
House of the Sorcerer, with Eureka curled up asleep on the seat of the
buggy.
Gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling
down upon the Land of the Mangaboos. Dorothy was surprised to find how
patient the people were, for her own little heart was beating rapidly
with excitement. A balloon meant to her some other arrival from the
surface of the earth, and she hoped it would be some one able to assist
her and Zeb out of their difficulties.
In an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket
suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the
side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into
the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass
pavement.
Then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and
bowed very gracefully to the crowd of Mangaboos around him. He was quite
an old little man, and his head was long and entirely bald.
"Why," cried Dorothy, in amazement, "it's Oz!"
The little man looked toward her and seemed as much surprised as she
was. But he smiled and bowed as he answered:
"Yes, my dear; I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Eh? And you are little
Dorothy, from Kansas. I remember you very well."
"Who did you say it was?" whispered Zeb to the girl.
"It's the wonderful Wizard of Oz. Haven't you heard of him?"
Just then the man with the star came and stood before the Wizard.
"Sir," said he, "why are you here, in the Land of the Mangaboos?"
"Didn't know what land it was, my son," returned the other, with a
pleasant smile; "and, to be honest, I didn't mean to visit you when I
started out. I live on top of the earth, your honor, which is far better
than living inside it; but yesterday I went up in a balloon, and when I
came down I fell into a big crack in the earth, caused by an earthquake.
I had let so much gas out of my balloon that I could not rise again,
and in a few minutes the earth closed over my head. So I continued to
descend until I reached this place, and if you will show me a way to get
out of it, I'll go with pleasure. Sorry to have troubled you; but it
couldn't be helped."
The Prince had listened with attention. Said he:
"This child, who is from the crust of the earth, like yourself, called
you a Wizard. Is not a Wizard something like a Sorcerer?"
"It's better," replied Oz, promptly. "One Wizard is worth three
Sorcerers."
"Ah, you shall prove that," said the Prince. "We Mangaboos have, at the
present time, one of the most wonderful Sorcerers that ever was picked
from a bush; but he sometimes makes mistakes. Do you ever make
mistakes?"
"Never!" declared the Wizard, boldly.
"Oh, Oz!" said Dorothy; "you made a lot of mistakes when you were in the
marvelous Land of Oz."
"Nonsense!" said the little man, turning red--although just then a ray
of violet sunlight was on his round face.
"Come with me," said the Prince to him. "I wish you to meet our
Sorcerer."
The Wizard did not like this invitation, but he could not refuse to
accept it. So he followed the Prince into the great domed hall, and
Dorothy and Zeb came after them, while the throng of people trooped in
also.
There sat the thorny Sorcerer in his chair of state, and when the Wizard
saw him he began to laugh, uttering comical little chuckles.
"What an absurd creature!" he exclaimed.
"He may look absurd," said the Prince, in his quiet voice; "but he is an
excellent Sorcerer. The only fault I find with him is that he is so
often wrong."
"I am never wrong," answered the Sorcerer.
"Only a short time ago you told me there would be no more Rain of Stones
or of People," said the Prince.
"Well, what then?"
"Here is another person descended from the air to prove you were wrong."
"One person cannot be called 'people,'" said the Sorcerer. "If two
should come out of the sky you might with justice say I was wrong; but
unless more than this one appears I will hold that I was right."
"Very clever," said the Wizard, nodding his head as if pleased. "I am
delighted to find humbugs inside the earth, just the same as on top of
it. Were you ever with a circus, brother?"
"No," said the Sorcerer.
"You ought to join one," declared the little man seriously. "I belong to
Bailum & Barney's Great Consolidated Shows--three rings in one tent and
a menagerie on the side. It's a fine aggregation, I assure you."
"What do you do?" asked the Sorcerer.
"I go up in a balloon, usually, to draw the crowds to the circus. But
I've just had the bad luck to come out of the sky, skip the solid earth,
and land lower down than I intended. But never mind. It isn't everybody
who gets a chance to see your Land of the Gabazoos."
"Mangaboos," said the Sorcerer, correcting him. "If you are a Wizard you
ought to be able to call people by their right names."
"Oh, I'm a Wizard; you may be sure of that. Just as good a Wizard as you
are a Sorcerer."
"That remains to be seen," said the other.
"If you are able to prove that you are better," said the Prince to the
little man, "I will make you the Chief Wizard of this domain.
Otherwise--"
"What will happen otherwise?" asked the Wizard.
"I will stop you from living, and forbid you to be planted," returned
the Prince.
"That does not sound especially pleasant," said the little man, looking
at the one with the star uneasily. "But never mind. I'll beat Old
Prickly, all right."
"My name is Gwig," said the Sorcerer, turning his heartless, cruel eyes
upon his rival. "Let me see you equal the sorcery I am about to
perform."
He waved a thorny hand and at once the tinkling of bells was heard,
playing sweet music. Yet, look where she would, Dorothy could discover
no bells at all in the great glass hall.
The Mangaboo people listened, but showed no great interest. It was one
of the things Gwig usually did to prove he was a sorcerer.
Now was the Wizard's turn, so he smiled upon the assemblage and asked:
"Will somebody kindly loan me a hat?"
No one did, because the Mangaboos did not wear hats, and Zeb had lost
his, somehow, in his flight through the air.
"Ahem!" said the Wizard, "will somebody please loan me a handkerchief?"
But they had no handkerchiefs, either.
"Very good," remarked the Wizard. "I'll use my own hat, if you please.
Now, good people, observe me carefully. You see, there is nothing up my
sleeve and nothing concealed about my person. Also, my hat is quite
empty." He took off his hat and held it upside down, shaking it
briskly.
"Let me see it," said the Sorcerer.
He took the hat and examined it carefully, returning it afterward to the
Wizard.
"Now," said the little man, "I will create something out of nothing."
He placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and
then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a
mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal
in a tiny, shrill voice.
The people watched it intently, for they had never seen a pig before,
big or little. The Wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in his
hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail
between the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of the two
parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant.
He placed one upon the floor, so that it could run around, and pulled
apart the other, making three piglets in all; and then one of these was
pulled apart, making four piglets. The Wizard continued this surprising
performance until nine tiny piglets were running about at his feet, all
squealing and grunting in a very comical way.
"Now," said the Wizard of Oz, "having created something from nothing, I
will make something nothing again."
With this he caught up two of the piglets and pushed them together, so
that the two were one. Then he caught up another piglet and pushed it
into the first, where it disappeared. And so, one by one, the nine tiny
piglets were pushed together until but a single one of the creatures
remained. This the Wizard placed underneath his hat and made a mystic
sign above it. When he removed his hat the last piglet had disappeared
entirely.
The little man gave a bow to the silent throng that had watched him, and
then the Prince said, in his cold, calm voice:
"You are indeed a wonderful Wizard, and your powers are greater than
those of my Sorcerer."
"He will not be a wonderful Wizard long," remarked Gwig.
"Why not?" enquired the Wizard.
"Because I am going to stop your breath," was the reply. "I perceive
that you are curiously constructed, and that if you cannot breathe you
cannot keep alive."
The little man looked troubled.
"How long will it take you to stop my breath?" he asked.
"About five minutes. I'm going to begin now. Watch me carefully."
He began making queer signs and passes toward the Wizard; but the little
man did not watch him long. Instead, he drew a leathern case from his
pocket and took from it several sharp knives, which he joined together,
one after another, until they made a long sword. By the time he had
attached a handle to this sword he was having much trouble to breathe,
as the charm of the Sorcerer was beginning to take effect.
So the Wizard lost no more time, but leaping forward he raised the sharp
sword, whirled it once or twice around his head, and then gave a mighty
stroke that cut the body of the Sorcerer exactly in two.
Dorothy screamed and expected to see a terrible sight; but as the two
halves of the Sorcerer fell apart on the floor she saw that he had no
bones or blood inside of him at all, and that the place where he was cut
looked much like a sliced turnip or potato.
"Why, he's vegetable!" cried the Wizard, astonished.
"Of course," said the Prince. "We are all vegetable, in this country.
Are you not vegetable, also?"
"No," answered the Wizard. "People on top of the earth are all meat.
Will your Sorcerer die?"
"Certainly, sir. He is really dead now, and will wither very quickly. So
we must plant him at once, that other Sorcerers may grow upon his bush,"
continued the Prince.
"What do you mean by that?" asked the little Wizard, greatly puzzled.
"If you will accompany me to our public gardens," replied the Prince, "I
will explain to you much better than I can here the mysteries of our
Vegetable Kingdom."
CHAPTER 4.
THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM
After the Wizard had wiped the dampness from his sword and taken it
apart and put the pieces into their leathern case again, the man with
the star ordered some of his people to carry the two halves of the
Sorcerer to the public gardens.
Jim pricked up his ears when he heard they were going to the gardens,
and wanted to join the party, thinking he might find something proper to
eat; so Zeb put down the top of the buggy and invited the Wizard to ride
with them. The seat was amply wide enough for the little man and the two
children, and when Jim started to leave the hall the kitten jumped upon
his back and sat there quite contentedly.
So the procession moved through the streets, the bearers of the Sorcerer
first, the Prince next, then Jim drawing the buggy with the strangers
inside of it, and last the crowd of vegetable people who had no hearts
and could neither smile nor frown.
The glass city had several fine streets, for a good many people lived
there; but when the procession had passed through these it came upon a
broad plain covered with gardens and watered by many pretty brooks that
flowed through it. There were paths through these gardens, and over some
of the brooks were ornamental glass bridges.
Dorothy and Zeb now got out of the buggy and walked beside the Prince,
so that they might see and examine the flowers and plants better.
"Who built these lovely bridges?" asked the little girl.
"No one built them," answered the man with the star. "They grow."
"That's queer," said she. "Did the glass houses in your city grow, too?"
"Of course," he replied. "But it took a good many years for them to grow
as large and fine as they are now. That is why we are so angry when a
Rain of Stones comes to break our towers and crack our roofs."
"Can't you mend them?" she enquired.
"No; but they will grow together again, in time, and we must wait until
they do."
They first passed through many beautiful gardens of flowers, which grew
nearest the city; but Dorothy could hardly tell what kind of flowers
they were, because the colors were constantly changing under the
shifting lights of the six suns. A flower would be pink one second,
white the next, then blue or yellow; and it was the same way when they
came to the plants, which had broad leaves and grew close to the ground.
When they passed over a field of grass Jim immediately stretched down
his head and began to nibble.
"A nice country this is," he grumbled, "where a respectable horse has to
eat pink grass!"
"It's violet," said the Wizard, who was in the buggy.
"Now it's blue," complained the horse. "As a matter of fact, I'm eating
rainbow grass."
"How does it taste?" asked the Wizard.
"Not bad at all," said Jim. "If they give me plenty of it I'll not
complain about its color."
By this time the party had reached a freshly plowed field, and the
Prince said to Dorothy:
"This is our planting-ground."
Several Mangaboos came forward with glass spades and dug a hole in the
ground. Then they put the two halves of the Sorcerer into it and covered
him up. After that other people brought water from a brook and sprinkled
the earth.
"He will sprout very soon," said the Prince, "and grow into a large
bush, from which we shall in time be able to pick several very good
sorcerers."
"Do all your people grow on bushes?" asked the boy.
"Certainly," was the reply. "Do not all people grow upon bushes where
you came from, on the outside of the earth."
"Not that I ever heard of."
"How strange! But if you will come with me to one of our folk gardens I
will show you the way we grow in the Land of the Mangaboos."
It appeared that these odd people, while they were able to walk through
the air with ease, usually moved upon the ground in the ordinary way.
There were no stairs in their houses, because they did not need them,
but on a level surface they generally walked just as we do.
The little party of strangers now followed the Prince across a few more
of the glass bridges and along several paths until they came to a garden
enclosed by a high hedge. Jim had refused to leave the field of grass,
where he was engaged in busily eating; so the Wizard got out of the
buggy and joined Zeb and Dorothy, and the kitten followed demurely at
their heels.
Inside the hedge they came upon row after row of large and handsome
plants with broad leaves gracefully curving until their points nearly
reached the ground. In the center of each plant grew a daintily dressed
Mangaboo, for the clothing of all these creatures grew upon them and was
attached to their bodies.
The growing Mangaboos were of all sizes, from the blossom that had just
turned into a wee baby to the full-grown and almost ripe man or woman.
On some of the bushes might be seen a bud, a blossom, a baby, a
half-grown person and a ripe one; but even those ready to pluck were
motionless and silent, as if devoid of life. This sight explained to
Dorothy why she had seen no children among the Mangaboos, a thing she
had until now been unable to account for.
"Our people do not acquire their real life until they leave their
bushes," said the Prince. "You will notice they are all attached to the
plants by the soles of their feet, and when they are quite ripe they are
easily separated from the stems and at once attain the powers of motion
and speech. So while they grow they cannot be said to really live, and
they must be picked before they can become good citizens."
"How long do you live, after you are picked?" asked Dorothy.
"That depends upon the care we take of ourselves," he replied. "If we
keep cool and moist, and meet with no accidents, we often live for five
years. I've been picked over six years, but our family is known to be
especially long lived."
"Do you eat?" asked the boy.
"Eat! No, indeed. We are quite solid inside our bodies, and have no need
to eat, any more than does a potato."
"But the potatoes sometimes sprout," said Zeb.
"And sometimes we do," answered the Prince; "but that is considered a
great misfortune, for then we must be planted at once."
"Where did you grow?" asked the Wizard.
"I will show you," was the reply. "Step this way, please."
He led them within another but smaller circle of hedge, where grew one
large and beautiful bush.
"This," said he, "is the Royal Bush of the Mangaboos. All of our Princes
and Rulers have grown upon this one bush from time immemorial."
They stood before it in silent admiration. On the central stalk stood
poised the figure of a girl so exquisitely formed and colored and so
lovely in the expression of her delicate features that Dorothy thought
she had never seen so sweet and adorable a creature in all her life.
The maiden's gown was soft as satin and fell about her in ample folds,
while dainty lace-like traceries trimmed the bodice and sleeves. Her
flesh was fine and smooth as polished ivory, and her poise expressed
both dignity and grace.
"Who is this?" asked the Wizard, curiously.
The Prince had been staring hard at the girl on the bush. Now he
answered, with a touch of uneasiness in his cold tones:
"She is the Ruler destined to be my successor, for she is a Royal
Princess. When she becomes fully ripe I must abandon the sovereignty of
the Mangaboos to her."
"Isn't she ripe now?" asked Dorothy.
He hesitated.
"Not quite," said he, finally. "It will be several days before she needs
to be picked, or at least that is my judgment. I am in no hurry to
resign my office and be planted, you may be sure."
"Probably not," declared the Wizard, nodding.
"This is one of the most unpleasant things about our vegetable lives,"
continued the Prince, with a sigh, "that while we are in our full prime
we must give way to another, and be covered up in the ground to sprout
and grow and give birth to other people."
"I'm sure the Princess is ready to be picked," asserted Dorothy, gazing
hard at the beautiful girl on the bush. "She's as perfect as she can
be."
"Never mind," answered the Prince, hastily, "she will be all right for a
few days longer, and it is best for me to rule until I can dispose of
you strangers, who have come to our land uninvited and must be attended
to at once."
"What are you going to do with us?" asked Zeb.
"That is a matter I have not quite decided upon," was the reply. "I
think I shall keep this Wizard until a new Sorcerer is ready to pick,
for he seems quite skillful and may be of use to us. But the rest of you
must be destroyed in some way, and you cannot be planted, because I do
not wish horses and cats and meat people growing all over our country."
"You needn't worry," said Dorothy. "We wouldn't grow under ground, I'm
sure."
"But why destroy my friends?" asked the little Wizard. "Why not let them
live?"
"They do not belong here," returned the Prince. "They have no right to
be inside the earth at all."
"We didn't ask to come down here; we fell," said Dorothy.
"That is no excuse," declared the Prince, coldly.
The children looked at each other in perplexity, and the Wizard sighed.
Eureka rubbed her paw on her face and said in her soft, purring voice:
"He won't need to destroy _me_, for if I don't get something to eat
pretty soon I shall starve to death, and so save him the trouble."
"If he planted you, he might grow some cat-tails," suggested the Wizard.
"Oh, Eureka! perhaps we can find you some milk-weeds to eat," said the
boy.
"Phoo!" snarled the kitten; "I wouldn't touch the nasty things!"
"You don't need milk, Eureka," remarked Dorothy; "you are big enough now
to eat any kind of food."
"If I can get it," added Eureka.
"I'm hungry myself," said Zeb. "But I noticed some strawberries growing
in one of the gardens, and some melons in another place. These people
don't eat such things, so perhaps on our way back they will let us get
them."
"Never mind your hunger," interrupted the Prince. "I shall order you
destroyed in a few minutes, so you will have no need to ruin our pretty
melon vines and berry bushes. Follow me, please, to meet your doom."
CHAPTER 5.
DOROTHY PICKS THE PRINCESS
The words of the cold and moist vegetable Prince were not very
comforting, and as he spoke them he turned away and left the enclosure.
The children, feeling sad and despondent, were about to follow him when
the Wizard touched Dorothy softly on her shoulder.
"Wait!" he whispered.
"What for?" asked the girl.
"Suppose we pick the Royal Princess," said the Wizard. "I'm quite sure
she's ripe, and as soon as she comes to life she will be the Ruler, and
may treat us better than that heartless Prince intends to."
"All right!" exclaimed Dorothy, eagerly. "Let's pick her while we have
the chance, before the man with the star comes back."
So together they leaned over the great bush and each of them seized one
hand of the lovely Princess.
"Pull!" cried Dorothy, and as they did so the royal lady leaned toward
them and the stems snapped and separated from her feet. She was not at
all heavy, so the Wizard and Dorothy managed to lift her gently to the
ground.
The beautiful creature passed her hands over her eyes an instant, tucked
in a stray lock of hair that had become disarranged, and after a look
around the garden made those present a gracious bow and said, in a sweet
but even toned voice:
"I thank you very much."
"We salute your Royal Highness!" cried the Wizard, kneeling and kissing
her hand.
Just then the voice of the Prince was heard calling upon them to hasten,
and a moment later he returned to the enclosure, followed by a number of
his people.
Instantly the Princess turned and faced him, and when he saw that she
was picked the Prince stood still and began to tremble.
"Sir," said the Royal Lady, with much dignity, "you have wronged me
greatly, and would have wronged me still more had not these strangers
come to my rescue. I have been ready for picking all the past week, but
because you were selfish and desired to continue your unlawful rule,
you left me to stand silent upon my bush."
"I did not know that you were ripe," answered the Prince, in a low
voice.
"Give me the Star of Royalty!" she commanded.
Slowly he took the shining star from his own brow and placed it upon
that of the Princess. Then all the people bowed low to her, and the
Prince turned and walked away alone. What became of him afterward our
friends never knew.
The people of Mangaboo now formed themselves into a procession and
marched toward the glass city to escort their new ruler to her palace
and to perform those ceremonies proper to the occasion. But while the
people in the procession walked upon the ground the Princess walked in
the air just above their heads, to show that she was a superior being
and more exalted than her subjects.
No one now seemed to pay any attention to the strangers, so Dorothy and
Zeb and the Wizard let the train pass on and then wandered by themselves
into the vegetable gardens. They did not bother to cross the bridges
over the brooks, but when they came to a stream they stepped high and
walked in the air to the other side. This was a very interesting
experience to them, and Dorothy said:
"I wonder why it is that we can walk so easily in the air."
"Perhaps," answered the Wizard, "it is because we are close to the
center of the earth, where the attraction of gravitation is very slight.
But I've noticed that many queer things happen in fairy countries."
"Is this a fairy country?" asked the boy.
"Of course it is," returned Dorothy, promptly. "Only a fairy country
could have veg'table people; and only in a fairy country could Eureka
and Jim talk as we do."
"That's true," said Zeb, thoughtfully.
In the vegetable gardens they found the strawberries and melons, and
several other unknown but delicious fruits, of which they ate heartily.
But the kitten bothered them constantly by demanding milk or meat, and
called the Wizard names because he could not bring her a dish of milk by
means of his magical arts.
As they sat upon the grass watching Jim, who was still busily eating,
Eureka said:
"I don't believe you are a Wizard at all!"
"No," answered the little man, "you are quite right. In the strict sense
of the word I am not a Wizard, but only a humbug."
"The Wizard of Oz has always been a humbug," agreed Dorothy. "I've known
him for a long time."
"If that is so," said the boy, "how could he do that wonderful trick
with the nine tiny piglets?"
"Don't know," said Dorothy, "but it must have been humbug."
"Very true," declared the Wizard, nodding at her. "It was necessary to
deceive that ugly Sorcerer and the Prince, as well as their stupid
people; but I don't mind telling you, who are my friends, that the thing
was only a trick."
"But I saw the little pigs with my own eyes!" exclaimed Zeb.
"So did I," purred the kitten.
"To be sure," answered the Wizard. "You saw them because they were
there. They are in my inside pocket now. But the pulling of them apart
and pushing them together again was only a sleight-of-hand trick."
"Let's see the pigs," said Eureka, eagerly.
The little man felt carefully in his pocket and pulled out the tiny
piglets, setting them upon the grass one by one, where they ran around
and nibbled the tender blades.
"They're hungry, too," he said.
"Oh, what cunning things!" cried Dorothy, catching up one and petting
it.
"Be careful!" said the piglet, with a squeal, "you're squeezing me!"
"Dear me!" murmured the Wizard, looking at his pets in astonishment.
"They can actually talk!"
"May I eat one of them?" asked the kitten, in a pleading voice. "I'm
awfully hungry."
"Why, Eureka," said Dorothy, reproachfully, "what a cruel question! It
would be dreadful to eat these dear little things."
"I should say so!" grunted another of the piglets, looking uneasily at
the kitten; "cats are cruel things."
"I'm not cruel," replied the kitten, yawning. "I'm just hungry."
"You cannot eat my piglets, even if you are starving," declared the
little man, in a stern voice. "They are the only things I have to prove
I'm a wizard."
"How did they happen to be so little?" asked Dorothy. "I never saw such
small pigs before."
"They are from the Island of Teenty-Weent," said the Wizard, "where
everything is small because it's a small island. A sailor brought them
to Los Angeles and I gave him nine tickets to the circus for them."
"But what am I going to eat?" wailed the kitten, sitting in front of
Dorothy and looking pleadingly into her face. "There are no cows here
to give milk; or any mice, or even grasshoppers. And if I can't eat the
piglets you may as well plant me at once and raise catsup."
"I have an idea," said the Wizard, "that there are fishes in these
brooks. Do you like fish?"
"Fish!" cried the kitten. "Do I like fish? Why, they're better than
piglets--or even milk!"
"Then I'll try to catch you some," said he.
"But won't they be veg'table, like everything else here?" asked the
kitten.
"I think not. Fishes are not animals, and they are as cold and moist as
the vegetables themselves. There is no reason, that I can see, why they
may not exist in the waters of this strange country."
Then the Wizard bent a pin for a hook and took a long piece of string
from his pocket for a fish-line. The only bait he could find was a
bright red blossom from a flower; but he knew fishes are easy to fool if
anything bright attracts their attention, so he decided to try the
blossom. Having thrown the end of his line in the water of a nearby
brook he soon felt a sharp tug that told him a fish had bitten and was
caught on the bent pin; so the little man drew in the string and, sure
enough, the fish came with it and was landed safely on the shore,
where it began to flop around in great excitement.
The fish was fat and round, and its scales glistened like beautifully
cut jewels set close together; but there was no time to examine it
closely, for Eureka made a jump and caught it between her claws, and in
a few moments it had entirely disappeared.
"Oh, Eureka!" cried Dorothy, "did you eat the bones?"
"If it had any bones, I ate them," replied the kitten, composedly, as it
washed its face after the meal. "But I don't think that fish had any
bones, because I didn't feel them scratch my throat."
"You were very greedy," said the girl.
"I was very hungry," replied the kitten.
The little pigs had stood huddled in a group, watching this scene with
frightened eyes.
"Cats are dreadful creatures!" said one of them.
"I'm glad we are not fishes!" said another.
"Don't worry," Dorothy murmured, soothingly, "I'll not let the kitten
hurt you."
Then she happened to remember that in a corner of her suit-case were one
or two crackers that were left over from her luncheon on the train, and
she went to the buggy and brought them. Eureka stuck up her nose at such
food, but the tiny piglets squealed delightedly at the sight of the
crackers and ate them up in a jiffy.
"Now let us go back to the city," suggested the Wizard. "That is, if Jim
has had enough of the pink grass."
The cab-horse, who was browsing near, lifted his head with a sigh.
"I've tried to eat a lot while I had the chance," said he, "for it's
likely to be a long while between meals in this strange country. But I'm
ready to go, now, at any time you wish."
So, after the Wizard had put the piglets back into his inside pocket,
where they cuddled up and went to sleep, the three climbed into the
buggy and Jim started back to the town.
"Where shall we stay?" asked the girl.
"I think I shall take possession of the House of the Sorcerer," replied
the Wizard; "for the Prince said in the presence of his people that he
would keep me until they picked another Sorcerer, and the new Princess
won't know but that we belong there."
They agreed to this plan, and when they reached the great square Jim
drew the buggy into the big door of the domed hall.
"It doesn't look very homelike," said Dorothy, gazing around at the
bare room. "But it's a place to stay, anyhow."
"What are those holes up there?" enquired the boy, pointing to some
openings that appeared near the top of the dome.
"They look like doorways," said Dorothy; "only there are no stairs to
get to them."
"You forget that stairs are unnecessary," observed the Wizard. "Let us
walk up, and see where the doors lead to."
With this he began walking in the air toward the high openings, and
Dorothy and Zeb followed him. It was the same sort of climb one
experiences when walking up a hill, and they were nearly out of breath
when they came to the row of openings, which they perceived to be
doorways leading into halls in the upper part of the house. Following
these halls they discovered many small rooms opening from them, and some
were furnished with glass benches, tables and chairs. But there were no
beds at all.
"I wonder if these people never sleep," said the girl.
"Why, there seems to be no night at all in this country," Zeb replied.
"Those colored suns are exactly in the same place they were when we
came, and if there is no sunset there can be no night."
"Very true," agreed the Wizard. "But it is a long time since I have had
any sleep, and I'm tired. So I think I shall lie down upon one of these
hard glass benches and take a nap."
"I will, too," said Dorothy, and chose a little room at the end of the
hall.
Zeb walked down again to unharness Jim, who, when he found himself free,
rolled over a few times and then settled down to sleep, with Eureka
nestling comfortably beside his big, boney body. Then the boy returned
to one of the upper rooms, and in spite of the hardness of the glass
bench was soon deep in slumberland.
CHAPTER 6.
THE MANGABOOS PROVE DANGEROUS
When the Wizard awoke the six colored suns were shining down upon the
Land of the Mangaboos just as they had done ever since his arrival. The
little man, having had a good sleep, felt rested and refreshed, and
looking through the glass partition of the room he saw Zeb sitting up on
his bench and yawning. So the Wizard went in to him.
"Zeb," said he, "my balloon is of no further use in this strange
country, so I may as well leave it on the square where it fell. But in
the basket-car are some things I would like to keep with me. I wish you
would go and fetch my satchel, two lanterns, and a can of kerosene oil
that is under the seat. There is nothing else that I care about."
So the boy went willingly upon the errand, and by the time he had
returned Dorothy was awake. Then the three held a counsel to decide what
they should do next, but could think of no way to better their
condition.
"I don't like these veg'table people," said the little girl. "They're
cold and flabby, like cabbages, in spite of their prettiness."
"I agree with you. It is because there is no warm blood in them,"
remarked the Wizard.
"And they have no hearts; so they can't love anyone--not even
themselves," declared the boy.
"The Princess is lovely to look at," continued Dorothy, thoughtfully;
"but I don't care much for her, after all. If there was any other place
to go, I'd like to go there."
"But _is_ there any other place?" asked the Wizard.
"I don't know," she answered.
Just then they heard the big voice of Jim the cab-horse calling to them,
and going to the doorway leading to the dome they found the Princess and
a throng of her people had entered the House of the Sorcerer.
So they went down to greet the beautiful vegetable lady, who said to
them:
"I have been talking with my advisors about you meat people, and we have
decided that you do not belong in the Land of the Mangaboos and must not
remain here."
"How can we go away?" asked Dorothy.
"Oh, you cannot go away, of course; so you must be destroyed," was the
answer.
"In what way?" enquired the Wizard.
"We shall throw you three people into the Garden of the Twining Vines,"
said the Princess, "and they will soon crush you and devour your bodies
to make themselves grow bigger. The animals you have with you we will
drive to the mountains and put into the Black Pit. Then our country will
be rid of all its unwelcome visitors."
"But you are in need of a Sorcerer," said the Wizard, "and not one of
those growing is yet ripe enough to pick. I am greater than any
thorn-covered sorcerer that ever grew in your garden. Why destroy me?"
"It is true we need a Sorcerer," acknowledged the Princess, "but I am
informed that one of our own will be ready to pick in a few days, to
take the place of Gwig, whom you cut in two before it was time for him
to be planted. Let us see your arts, and the sorceries you are able to
perform. Then I will decide whether to destroy you with the others or
not."
At this the Wizard made a bow to the people and repeated his trick of
producing the nine tiny piglets and making them disappear again. He did
it very cleverly, indeed, and the Princess looked at the strange
piglets as if she were as truly astonished as any vegetable person could
be. But afterward she said:
"I have heard of this wonderful magic. But it accomplishes nothing of
value. What else can you do?"
The Wizard tried to think. Then he jointed together the blades of his
sword and balanced it very skillfully upon the end of his nose. But even
that did not satisfy the Princess.
Just then his eye fell upon the lanterns and the can of kerosene oil
which Zeb had brought from the car of his balloon, and he got a clever
idea from those commonplace things.
"Your Highness," said he, "I will now proceed to prove my magic by
creating two suns that you have never seen before; also I will exhibit a
Destroyer much more dreadful than your Clinging Vines."
So he placed Dorothy upon one side of him and the boy upon the other and
set a lantern upon each of their heads.
"Don't laugh," he whispered to them, "or you will spoil the effect of my
magic."
Then, with much dignity and a look of vast importance upon his wrinkled
face, the Wizard got out his match-box and lighted the two lanterns. The
glare they made was very small when compared with the radiance of the
six great colored suns; but still they gleamed steadily and clearly. The
Mangaboos were much impressed because they had never before seen any
light that did not come directly from their suns.
Next the Wizard poured a pool of oil from the can upon the glass floor,
where it covered quite a broad surface. When he lighted the oil a
hundred tongues of flame shot up, and the effect was really imposing.
"Now, Princess," exclaimed the Wizard, "those of your advisors who
wished to throw us into the Garden of Clinging Vines must step within
this circle of light. If they advised you well, and were in the right,
they will not be injured in any way. But if any advised you wrongly, the
light will wither him."
The advisors of the Princess did not like this test; but she commanded
them to step into the flame and one by one they did so, and were
scorched so badly that the air was soon filled with an odor like that of
baked potatoes. Some of the Mangaboos fell down and had to be dragged
from the fire, and all were so withered that it would be necessary to
plant them at once.
"Sir," said the Princess to the Wizard, "you are greater than any
Sorcerer we have ever known. As it is evident that my people have
advised me wrongly, I will not cast you three people into the dreadful
Garden of the Clinging Vines; but your animals must be driven into the
Black Pit in the mountain, for my subjects cannot bear to have them
around."
The Wizard was so pleased to have saved the two children and himself
that he said nothing against this decree; but when the Princess had gone
both Jim and Eureka protested they did not want to go to the Black Pit,
and Dorothy promised she would do all that she could to save them from
such a fate.
For two or three days after this--if we call days the periods between
sleep, there being no night to divide the hours into days--our friends
were not disturbed in any way. They were even permitted to occupy the
House of the Sorcerer in peace, as if it had been their own, and to
wander in the gardens in search of food.
Once they came near to the enclosed Garden of the Clinging Vines, and
walking high into the air looked down upon it with much interest. They
saw a mass of tough green vines all matted together and writhing and
twisting around like a nest of great snakes. Everything the vines
touched they crushed, and our adventurers were indeed thankful to have
escaped being cast among them.
Whenever the Wizard went to sleep he would take the nine tiny piglets
from his pocket and let them run around on the floor of his room to
amuse themselves and get some exercise; and one time they found his
glass door ajar and wandered into the hall and then into the bottom part
of the great dome, walking through the air as easily as Eureka could.
They knew the kitten, by this time, so they scampered over to where she
lay beside Jim and commenced to frisk and play with her.
The cab-horse, who never slept long at a time, sat upon his haunches and
watched the tiny piglets and the kitten with much approval.
"Don't be rough!" he would call out, if Eureka knocked over one of the
round, fat piglets with her paw; but the pigs never minded, and enjoyed
the sport very greatly.
Suddenly they looked up to find the room filled with the silent,
solemn-eyed Mangaboos. Each of the vegetable folks bore a branch covered
with sharp thorns, which was thrust defiantly toward the horse, the
kitten and the piglets.
"Here--stop this foolishness!" Jim roared, angrily; but after being
pricked once or twice he got upon his four legs and kept out of the way
of the thorns.
The Mangaboos surrounded them in solid ranks, but left an opening to the
doorway of the hall; so the animals slowly retreated until they were
driven from the room and out upon the street. Here were more of the
vegetable people with thorns, and silently they urged the now frightened
creatures down the street. Jim had to be careful not to step upon the
tiny piglets, who scampered under his feet grunting and squealing, while
Eureka, snarling and biting at the thorns pushed toward her, also tried
to protect the pretty little things from injury. Slowly but steadily the
heartless Mangaboos drove them on, until they had passed through the
city and the gardens and come to the broad plains leading to the
mountain.
"What does all this mean, anyhow?" asked the horse, jumping to escape a
thorn.
"Why, they are driving us toward the Black Pit, into which they
threatened to cast us," replied the kitten. "If I were as big as you
are, Jim, I'd fight these miserable turnip-roots!"
"What would you do?" enquired Jim.
"I'd kick out with those long legs and iron-shod hoofs."
"All right," said the horse; "I'll do it."
An instant later he suddenly backed toward the crowd of Mangaboos and
kicked out his hind legs as hard as he could. A dozen of them smashed
together and tumbled to the ground, and seeing his success Jim kicked
again and again, charging into the vegetable crowd, knocking them in
all directions and sending the others scattering to escape his iron
heels. Eureka helped him by flying into the faces of the enemy and
scratching and biting furiously, and the kitten ruined so many vegetable
complexions that the Mangaboos feared her as much as they did the horse.
But the foes were too many to be repulsed for long. They tired Jim and
Eureka out, and although the field of battle was thickly covered with
mashed and disabled Mangaboos, our animal friends had to give up at last
and allow themselves to be driven to the mountain.
CHAPTER 7.
INTO THE BLACK PIT AND OUT AGAIN
When they came to the mountain it proved to be a rugged, towering chunk
of deep green glass, and looked dismal and forbidding in the extreme.
Half way up the steep was a yawning cave, black as night beyond the
point where the rainbow rays of the colored suns reached into it.
The Mangaboos drove the horse and the kitten and the piglets into this
dark hole and then, having pushed the buggy in after them--for it seemed
some of them had dragged it all the way from the domed hall--they began
to pile big glass rocks within the entrance, so that the prisoners could
not get out again.
"This is dreadful!" groaned Jim. "It will be about the end of our
adventures, I guess."
"If the Wizard was here," said one of the piglets, sobbing bitterly, "he
would not see us suffer so."
"We ought to have called him and Dorothy when we were first attacked,"
added Eureka. "But never mind; be brave, my friends, and I will go and
tell our masters where you are, and get them to come to your rescue."
The mouth of the hole was nearly filled up now, but the kitten gave a
leap through the remaining opening and at once scampered up into the
air. The Mangaboos saw her escape, and several of them caught up their
thorns and gave chase, mounting through the air after her. Eureka,
however, was lighter than the Mangaboos, and while they could mount only
about a hundred feet above the earth the kitten found she could go
nearly two hundred feet. So she ran along over their heads until she had
left them far behind and below and had come to the city and the House of
the Sorcerer. There she entered in at Dorothy's window in the dome and
aroused her from her sleep.
As soon as the little girl knew what had happened she awakened the
Wizard and Zeb, and at once preparations were made to go to the rescue
of Jim and the piglets. The Wizard carried his satchel, which was quite
heavy, and Zeb carried the two lanterns and the oil can. Dorothy's
wicker suit-case was still under the seat of the buggy, and by good
fortune the boy had also placed the harness in the buggy when he had
taken it off from Jim to let the horse lie down and rest. So there was
nothing for the girl to carry but the kitten, which she held close to
her bosom and tried to comfort, for its little heart was still beating
rapidly.
Some of the Mangaboos discovered them as soon as they left the House of
the Sorcerer; but when they started toward the mountain the vegetable
people allowed them to proceed without interference, yet followed in a
crowd behind them so that they could not go back again.
Before long they neared the Black Pit, where a busy swarm of Mangaboos,
headed by their Princess, was engaged in piling up glass rocks before
the entrance.
"Stop, I command you!" cried the Wizard, in an angry tone, and at once
began pulling down the rocks to liberate Jim and the piglets. Instead of
opposing him in this they stood back in silence until he had made a
good-sized hole in the barrier, when by order of the Princess they all
sprang forward and thrust out their sharp thorns.
Dorothy hopped inside the opening to escape being pricked, and Zeb and
the Wizard, after enduring a few stabs from the thorns, were glad to
follow her. At once the Mangaboos began piling up the rocks of glass