disarmed all criticism. They all laughed at his enthusiasm, but the
Scarecrow was quite serious. Seeing that he was interested in Scraps
they forbore to say anything against her. The little band of friends
Ozma had gathered around her was so quaintly assorted that much care
must be exercised to avoid hurting their feelings or making any one of
them unhappy. It was this considerate kindness that held them close
friends and enabled them to enjoy one another's society.
Another thing they avoided was conversing on unpleasant subjects, and
for that reason Ojo and his troubles were not mentioned during the
dinner. The Shaggy Man, however, related his adventures with the
monstrous plants which had seized and enfolded the travelers, and told
how he had robbed Chiss, the giant porcupine, of the quills which it
was accustomed to throw at people. Both Dorothy and Ozma were pleased
with this exploit and thought it served Chiss right.
Then they talked of the Woozy, which was the most remarkable animal any
of them had ever before seen--except, perhaps, the live Sawhorse. Ozma
had never known that her dominions contained such a thing as a Woozy,
there being but one in existence and this being confined in his forest
for many years. Dorothy said she believed the Woozy was a good beast,
honest and faithful; but she added that she did not care much for the
Glass Cat.
"Still," said the Shaggy Man, "the Glass Cat is very pretty and if she
were not so conceited over her pink brains no one would object to her
as a companion."
The Wizard had been eating silently until now, when he looked up and
remarked:
"That Powder of Life which is made by the Crooked Magician is really a
wonderful thing. But Dr. Pipt does not know its true value and he uses
it in the most foolish ways."
"I must see about that," said Ozma, gravely. Then she smiled again and
continued in a lighter tone: "It was Dr. Pipt's famous Powder of Life
that enabled me to become the Ruler of Oz."
"I've never heard that story," said the Shaggy Man, looking at Ozma
questioningly.
"Well, when I was a baby girl I was stolen by an old Witch named Mombi
and transformed into a boy," began the girl Ruler. "I did not know who
I was and when I grew big enough to work, the Witch made me wait upon
her and carry wood for the fire and hoe in the garden. One day she came
back from a journey bringing some of the Powder of Life, which Dr. Pipt
had given her. I had made a pumpkin-headed man and set it up in her
path to frighten her, for I was fond of fun and hated the Witch. But
she knew what the figure was and to test her Powder of Life she
sprinkled some of it on the man I had made. It came to life and is now
our dear friend Jack Pumpkinhead. That night I ran away with Jack to
escape punishment, and I took old Mombi's Powder of Life with me.
During our journey we came upon a wooden Sawhorse standing by the road
and I used the magic powder to bring it to life. The Sawhorse has been
with me ever since. When I got to the Emerald City the good Sorceress,
Glinda, knew who I was and restored me to my proper person, when I
became the rightful Ruler of this land. So you see had not old Mombi
brought home the Powder of Life I might never have run away from her
and become Ozma of Oz, nor would we have had Jack Pumpkinhead and the
Sawhorse to comfort and amuse us."
That story interested the Shaggy Man very much, as well as the others,
who had often heard it before. The dinner being now concluded, they all
went to Ozma's drawing-room, where they passed a pleasant evening
before it came time to retire.
Chapter Eighteen
Ojo is Forgiven
The next morning the Soldier with the Green Whiskers went to the prison
and took Ojo away to the royal palace, where he was summoned to appear
before the girl Ruler for judgment. Again the soldier put upon the boy
the jeweled handcuffs and white prisoner's robe with the peaked top and
holes for the eyes. Ojo was so ashamed, both of his disgrace and the
fault he had committed, that he was glad to be covered up in this way,
so that people could not see him or know who he was. He followed the
Soldier with the Green Whiskers very willingly, anxious that his fate
might be decided as soon as possible.
The inhabitants of the Emerald City were polite people and never jeered
at the unfortunate; but it was so long since they had seen a prisoner
that they cast many curious looks toward the boy and many of them
hurried away to the royal palace to be present during the trial.
When Ojo was escorted into the great Throne Room of the palace he found
hundreds of people assembled there. In the magnificent emerald throne,
which sparkled with countless jewels, sat Ozma of Oz in her Robe of
State, which was embroidered with emeralds and pearls. On her right,
but a little lower, was Dorothy, and on her left the Scarecrow. Still
lower, but nearly in front of Ozma, sat the wonderful Wizard of Oz and
on a small table beside him was the golden vase from Dorothy's room,
into which Scraps had dropped the stolen clover.
At Ozma's feet crouched two enormous beasts, each the largest and most
powerful of its kind. Although these beasts were quite free, no one
present was alarmed by them; for the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger
were well known and respected in the Emerald City and they always
guarded the Ruler when she held high court in the Throne Room. There
was still another beast present, but this one Dorothy held in her arms,
for it was her constant companion, the little dog Toto. Toto knew the
Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger and often played and romped with
them, for they were good friends.
Seated on ivory chairs before Ozma, with a clear space between them and
the throne, were many of the nobility of the Emerald City, lords and
ladies in beautiful costumes, and officials of the kingdom in the royal
uniforms of Oz. Behind these courtiers were others of less importance,
filling the great hall to the very doors.
At the same moment that the Soldier with the Green Whiskers arrived
with Ojo, the Shaggy Man entered from a side door, escorting the
Patchwork Girl, the Woozy and the Glass Cat. All these came to the
vacant space before the throne and stood facing the Ruler.
"Hullo, Ojo," said Scraps; "how are you?"
"All right," he replied; but the scene awed the boy and his voice
trembled a little with fear. Nothing could awe the Patchwork Girl, and
although the Woozy was somewhat uneasy in these splendid surroundings
the Glass Cat was delighted with the sumptuousness of the court and the
impressiveness of the occasion--pretty big words but quite expressive.
At a sign from Ozma the soldier removed Ojo's white robe and the boy
stood face to face with the girl who was to decide his punishment. He
saw at a glance how lovely and sweet she was, and his heart gave a
bound of joy, for he hoped she would be merciful.
Ozma sat looking at the prisoner a long time. Then she said gently:
"One of the Laws of Oz forbids anyone to pick a six-leaved clover. You
are accused of having broken this Law, even after you had been warned
not to do so."
Ojo hung his head and while he hesitated how to reply the Patchwork
Girl stepped forward and spoke for him.
"All this fuss is about nothing at all," she said, facing Ozma
unabashed. "You can't prove he picked the six-leaved clover, so you've
no right to accuse him of it. Search him, if you like, but you won't
find the clover; look in his basket and you'll find it's not there. He
hasn't got it, so I demand that you set this poor Munchkin boy free."
The people of Oz listened to this defiance in amazement and wondered at
the queer Patchwork Girl who dared talk so boldly to their Ruler. But
Ozma sat silent and motionless and it was the little Wizard who
answered Scraps.
"So the clover hasn't been picked, eh?" he said. "I think it has. I
think the boy hid it in his basket, and then gave the basket to you. I
also think you dropped the clover into this vase, which stood in
Princess Dorothy's room, hoping to get rid of it so it would not prove
the boy guilty. You're a stranger here, Miss Patches, and so you don't
know that nothing can be hidden from our powerful Ruler's Magic
Picture--nor from the watchful eyes of the humble Wizard of Oz. Look,
all of you!" With these words he waved his hands toward the vase on the
table, which Scraps now noticed for the first time.
From the mouth of the vase a plant sprouted, slowly growing before
their eyes until it became a beautiful bush, and on the topmost branch
appeared the six-leaved clover which Ojo had unfortunately picked.
The Patchwork Girl looked at the clover and said: "Oh, so you've found
it. Very well; prove he picked it, if you can."
Ozma turned to Ojo.
"Did you pick the six-leaved clover?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied. "I knew it was against the Law, but I wanted to save
Unc Nunkie and I was afraid if I asked your consent to pick it you
would refuse me."
"What caused you to think that?" asked the Ruler.
"Why, it seemed to me a foolish law, unjust and unreasonable. Even now
I can see no harm in picking a six-leaved clover. And I--I had not seen
the Emerald City, then, nor you, and I thought a girl who would make
such a silly Law would not be likely to help anyone in trouble."
Ozma regarded him musingly, her chin resting upon her hand; but she was
not angry. On the contrary she smiled a little at her thoughts and then
grew sober again.
"I suppose a good many laws seem foolish to those people who do not
understand them," she said; "but no law is ever made without some
purpose, and that purpose is usually to protect all the people and
guard their welfare. As you are a stranger, I will explain this Law
which to you seems so foolish. Years ago there were many Witches and
Magicians in the Land of Oz, and one of the things they often used in
making their magic charms and transformations was a six-leaved clover.
These Witches and Magicians caused so much trouble among my people,
often using their powers for evil rather than good, that I decided to
forbid anyone to practice magic or sorcery except Glinda the Good and
her assistant, the Wizard of Oz, both of whom I can trust to use their
arts only to benefit my people and to make them happier. Since I issued
that Law the Land of Oz has been far more peaceful and quiet; but I
learned that some of the Witches and Magicians were still practicing
magic on the sly and using the six-leaved clovers to make their potions
and charms. Therefore I made another Law forbidding anyone from
plucking a six-leaved clover or from gathering other plants and herbs
which the Witches boil in their kettles to work magic with. That has
almost put an end to wicked sorcery in our land, so you see the Law was
not a foolish one, but wise and just; and, in any event, it is wrong to
disobey a Law."
Ojo knew she was right and felt greatly mortified to realize he had
acted and spoken so ridiculously. But he raised his head and looked
Ozma in the face, saying:
"I am sorry I have acted wrongly and broken your Law. I did it to save
Unc Nunkie, and thought I would not be found out. But I am guilty of
this act and whatever punishment you think I deserve I will suffer
willingly."
Ozma smiled more brightly, then, and nodded graciously.
"You are forgiven," she said. "For, although you have committed a
serious fault, you are now penitent and I think you have been punished
enough. Soldier, release Ojo the Lucky and--"
"I beg your pardon; I'm Ojo the Unlucky," said the boy.
"At this moment you are lucky," said she. "Release him, Soldier, and
let him go free."
The people were glad to hear Ozma's decree and murmured their approval.
As the royal audience was now over, they began to leave the Throne Room
and soon there were none remaining except Ojo and his friends and Ozma
and her favorites.
The girl Ruler now asked Ojo to sit down and tell her all his story,
which he did, beginning at the time he had left his home in the forest
and ending with his arrival at the Emerald City and his arrest. Ozma
listened attentively and was thoughtful for some moments after the boy
had finished speaking. Then she said:
"The Crooked Magician was wrong to make the Glass Cat and the Patchwork
Girl, for it was against the Law. And if he had not unlawfully kept the
bottle of Liquid of Petrifaction standing on his shelf, the accident to
his wife Margolotte and to Unc Nunkie could not have occurred. I can
understand, however, that Ojo, who loves his uncle, will be unhappy
unless he can save him. Also I feel it is wrong to leave those two
victims standing as marble statues, when they ought to be alive. So I
propose we allow Dr. Pipt to make the magic charm which will save them,
and that we assist Ojo to find the things he is seeking. What do you
think, Wizard?"
"That is perhaps the best thing to do," replied the Wizard. "But after
the Crooked Magician has restored those poor people to life you must
take away his magic powers."
"I will," promised Ozma.
"Now tell me, please, what magic things must you find?" continued the
Wizard, addressing Ojo.
"The three hairs from the Woozy's tail I have," said the boy. "That is,
I have the Woozy, and the hairs are in his tail. The six-leaved clover
I--I--"
"You may take it and keep it," said Ozma. "That will not be breaking
the Law, for it is already picked, and the crime of picking it is
forgiven."
"Thank you!" cried Ojo gratefully. Then he continued: "The next thing I
must find is a gill of water from a dark well."
The Wizard shook his head. "That," said he, "will be a hard task, but
if you travel far enough you may discover it."
"I am willing to travel for years, if it will save Unc Nunkie,"
declared Ojo, earnestly.
"Then you'd better begin your journey at once," advised the Wizard.
Dorothy had been listening with interest to this conversation. Now she
turned to Ozma and asked: "May I go with Ojo, to help him?"
"Would you like to?" returned Ozma.
"Yes. I know Oz pretty well, but Ojo doesn't know it at all. I'm sorry
for his uncle and poor Margolotte and I'd like to help save them. May I
go?"
"If you wish to," replied Ozma.
"If Dorothy goes, then I must go to take care of her," said the
Scarecrow, decidedly. "A dark well can only be discovered in some
out-of-the-way place, and there may be dangers there."
"You have my permission to accompany Dorothy," said Ozma. "And while
you are gone I will take care of the Patchwork Girl."
"I'll take care of myself," announced Scraps, "for I'm going with the
Scarecrow and Dorothy. I promised Ojo to help him find the things he
wants and I'll stick to my promise."
"Very well," replied Ozma. "But I see no need for Ojo to take the Glass
Cat and the Woozy."
"I prefer to remain here," said the cat. "I've nearly been nicked half
a dozen times, already, and if they're going into dangers it's best for
me to keep away from them."
"Let Jellia Jamb keep her till Ojo returns," suggested Dorothy. "We
won't need to take the Woozy, either, but he ought to be saved because
of the three hairs in his tail."
"Better take me along," said the Woozy. "My eyes can flash fire, you
know, and I can growl--a little."
"I'm sure you'll be safer here," Ozma decided, and the Woozy made no
further objection to the plan.
After consulting together they decided that Ojo and his party should
leave the very next day to search for the gill of water from a dark
well, so they now separated to make preparations for the journey.
Ozma gave the Munchkin boy a room in the palace for that night and the
afternoon he passed with Dorothy--getting acquainted, as she said--and
receiving advice from the Shaggy Man as to where they must go. The
Shaggy Man had wandered in many parts of Oz, and so had Dorothy, for
that matter, yet neither of them knew where a dark well was to be found.
"If such a thing is anywhere in the settled parts of Oz," said Dorothy,
"we'd prob'ly have heard of it long ago. If it's in the wild parts of
the country, no one there would need a dark well. P'raps there isn't
such a thing."
"Oh, there must be!" returned Ojo, positively; "or else the recipe of
Dr. Pipt wouldn't call for it."
"That's true," agreed Dorothy; "and, if it's anywhere in the Land of
Oz, we're bound to find it."
"Well, we're bound to search for it, anyhow," said the Scarecrow. "As
for finding it, we must trust to luck."
"Don't do that," begged Ojo, earnestly. "I'm called Ojo the Unlucky,
you know."
Chapter Nineteen
Trouble with the Tottenhots
A day's journey from the Emerald City brought the little band of
adventurers to the home of Jack Pumpkinhead, which was a house formed
from the shell of an immense pumpkin. Jack had made it himself and was
very proud of it. There was a door, and several windows, and through
the top was stuck a stovepipe that led from a small stove inside. The
door was reached by a flight of three steps and there was a good floor
on which was arranged some furniture that was quite comfortable.
It is certain that Jack Pumpkinhead might have had a much finer house
to live in had he wanted it, for Ozma loved the stupid fellow, who had
been her earliest companion; but Jack preferred his pumpkin house, as
it matched himself very well, and in this he was not so stupid, after
all.
The body of this remarkable person was made of wood, branches of trees
of various sizes having been used for the purpose. This wooden
framework was covered by a red shirt--with white spots in it--blue
trousers, a yellow vest, a jacket of green-and-gold and stout leather
shoes. The neck was a sharpened stick on which the pumpkin head was
set, and the eyes, ears, nose and mouth were carved on the skin of the
pumpkin, very like a child's jack-o'-lantern.
The house of this interesting creation stood in the center of a vast
pumpkin-field, where the vines grew in profusion and bore pumpkins of
extraordinary size as well as those which were smaller. Some of the
pumpkins now ripening on the vines were almost as large as Jack's
house, and he told Dorothy he intended to add another pumpkin to his
mansion.
The travelers were cordially welcomed to this quaint domicile and
invited to pass the night there, which they had planned to do. The
Patchwork Girl was greatly interested in Jack and examined him
admiringly.
"You are quite handsome," she said; "but not as really beautiful as the
Scarecrow."
Jack turned, at this, to examine the Scarecrow critically, and his old
friend slyly winked one painted eye at him.
"There is no accounting for tastes," remarked the Pumpkinhead, with a
sigh. "An old crow once told me I was very fascinating, but of course
the bird might have been mistaken. Yet I have noticed that the crows
usually avoid the Scarecrow, who is a very honest fellow, in his way,
but stuffed. I am not stuffed, you will observe; my body is good solid
hickory."
"I adore stuffing," said the Patchwork Girl.
"Well, as for that, my head is stuffed with pumpkin-seeds," declared
Jack. "I use them for brains, and when they are fresh I am
intellectual. Just now, I regret to say, my seeds are rattling a bit,
so I must soon get another head."
"Oh; do you change your head?" asked Ojo.
"To be sure. Pumpkins are not permanent, more's the pity, and in time
they spoil. That is why I grow such a great field of pumpkins--that I
may select a new head whenever necessary."
"Who carves the faces on them?" inquired the boy.
"I do that myself. I lift off my old head, place it on a table before
me, and use the face for a pattern to go by. Sometimes the faces I
carve are better than others--more expressive and cheerful, you
know--but I think they average very well."
Before she had started on the journey Dorothy had packed a knapsack
with the things she might need, and this knapsack the Scarecrow carried
strapped to his back. The little girl wore a plain gingham dress and a
checked sunbonnet, as she knew they were best fitted for travel. Ojo
also had brought along his basket, to which Ozma had added a bottle of
"Square Meal Tablets" and some fruit. But Jack Pumpkinhead grew a lot
of things in his garden besides pumpkins, so he cooked for them a fine
vegetable soup and gave Dorothy, Ojo and Toto, the only ones who found
it necessary to eat, a pumpkin pie and some green cheese. For beds they
must use the sweet dried grasses which Jack had strewn along one side
of the room, but that satisfied Dorothy and Ojo very well. Toto, of
course, slept beside his little mistress.
The Scarecrow, Scraps and the Pumpkinhead were tireless and had no need
to sleep, so they sat up and talked together all night; but they stayed
outside the house, under the bright stars, and talked in low tones so
as not to disturb the sleepers. During the conversation the Scarecrow
explained their quest for a dark well, and asked Jack's advice where to
find it.
The Pumpkinhead considered the matter gravely.
"That is going to be a difficult task," said he, "and if I were you I'd
take any ordinary well and enclose it, so as to make it dark."
"I fear that wouldn't do," replied the Scarecrow. "The well must be
naturally dark, and the water must never have seen the light of day,
for otherwise the magic charm might not work at all."
"How much of the water do you need?" asked Jack.
"A gill."
"How much is a gill?"
"Why--a gill is a gill, of course," answered the Scarecrow, who did not
wish to display his ignorance.
"I know!" cried Scraps. "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch--"
"No, no; that's wrong," interrupted the Scarecrow. "There are two kinds
of gills, I think; one is a girl, and the other is--"
"A gillyflower," said Jack.
"No; a measure."
"How big a measure?"
"Well, I'll ask Dorothy."
So next morning they asked Dorothy, and she said:
"I don't just know how much a gill is, but I've brought along a gold
flask that holds a pint. That's more than a gill, I'm sure, and the
Crooked Magician may measure it to suit himself. But the thing that's
bothering us most, Jack, is to find the well."
Jack gazed around the landscape, for he was standing in the doorway of
his house.
"This is a flat country, so you won't find any dark wells here," said
he. "You must go into the mountains, where rocks and caverns are."
"And where is that?" asked Ojo.
"In the Quadling Country, which lies south of here," replied the
Scarecrow. "I've known all along that we must go to the mountains."
"So have I," said Dorothy.
"But--goodness me!--the Quadling Country is full of dangers," declared
Jack. "I've never been there myself, but--"
"I have," said the Scarecrow. "I've faced the dreadful Hammerheads,
which have no arms and butt you like a goat; and I've faced the
Fighting Trees, which bend down their branches to pound and whip you,
and had many other adventures there."
"It's a wild country," remarked Dorothy, soberly, "and if we go there
we're sure to have troubles of our own. But I guess we'll have to go,
if we want that gill of water from the dark well."
So they said good-bye to the Pumpkinhead and resumed their travels,
heading now directly toward the South Country, where mountains and
rocks and caverns and forests of great trees abounded. This part of the
Land of Oz, while it belonged to Ozma and owed her allegiance, was so
wild and secluded that many queer peoples hid in its jungles and lived
in their own way, without even a knowledge that they had a Ruler in the
Emerald City. If they were left alone, these creatures never troubled
the inhabitants of the rest of Oz, but those who invaded their domains
encountered many dangers from them.
It was a two days journey from Jack Pumkinhead's house to the edge of
the Quadling Country, for neither Dorothy nor Ojo could walk very fast
and they often stopped by the wayside to rest. The first night they
slept on the broad fields, among the buttercups and daisies, and the
Scarecrow covered the children with a gauze blanket taken from his
knapsack, so they would not be chilled by the night air. Toward evening
of the second day they reached a sandy plain where walking was
difficult; but some distance before them they saw a group of palm
trees, with many curious black dots under them; so they trudged bravely
on to reach that place by dark and spend the night under the shelter of
the trees.
The black dots grew larger as they advanced and although the light was
dim Dorothy thought they looked like big kettles turned upside down.
Just beyond this place a jumble of huge, jagged rocks lay scattered,
rising to the mountains behind them.
Our travelers preferred to attempt to climb these rocks by daylight,
and they realized that for a time this would be their last night on the
plains.