small pieces of my dear comrade, the Tin Woodman, while my soup is
being cooked on a bonfire built of the Saw-Horse and Jack Pumpkinhead's
body, and Queen Jinjur watches me boil while she feeds the flames with
my friend the Scarecrow!"
This morbid picture cast a gloom over the entire party, making them
restless and anxious.
"It can't happen for some time," said the Tin Woodman, trying to speak
cheerfully; "for we shall be able to keep Jinjur out of the palace
until she manages to break down the doors."
"And in the meantime I am liable to starve to death, and so is the
Woggle-Bug," announced Tip.
"As for me," said the Woggle-Bug, "I think that I could live for some
time on Jack Pumpkinhead. Not that I prefer pumpkins for food; but I
believe they are somewhat nutritious, and Jack's head is large and
plump."
"How heartless!" exclaimed the Tin Woodman, greatly shocked. "Are we
cannibals, let me ask? Or are we faithful friends?"
"I see very clearly that we cannot stay shut up in this palace," said
the Scarecrow, with decision. "So let us end this mournful talk and try
to discover a means to escape."
At this suggestion they all gathered eagerly around the throne, wherein
was seated the Scarecrow, and as Tip sat down upon a stool there fell
from his pocket a pepper-box, which rolled upon the floor.
"What is this?" asked Nick Chopper, picking up the box.
"Be careful!" cried the boy. "That's my Powder of Life. Don't spill it,
for it is nearly gone."
"And what is the Powder of Life?" enquired the Scarecrow, as Tip
replaced the box carefully in his pocket.
"It's some magical stuff old Mombi got from a crooked sorcerer,"
explained the boy. "She brought Jack to life with it, and afterward I
used it to bring the Saw-Horse to life. I guess it will make anything
live that is sprinkled with it; but there's only about one dose left."
"Then it is very precious," said the Tin Woodman.
"Indeed it is," agreed the Scarecrow. "It may prove our best means of
escape from our difficulties. I believe I will think for a few minutes;
so I will thank you, friend Tip, to get out your knife and rip this
heavy crown from my forehead."
Tip soon cut the stitches that had fastened the crown to the
Scarecrow's head, and the former monarch of the Emerald City removed it
with a sigh of relief and hung it on a peg beside the throne.
[Illustration]
"That is my last memento of royalty," said he; "and I'm glad to get rid
of it. The former King of this City, who was named Pastoria, lost the
crown to the Wonderful Wizard, who passed it on to me. Now the girl
Jinjur claims it, and I sincerely hope it will not give her a headache."
"A kindly thought, which I greatly admire," said the Tin Woodman,
nodding approvingly.
"And now I will indulge in a quiet think," continued the Scarecrow,
lying back in the throne.
The others remained as silent and still as possible, so as not to
disturb him; for all had great confidence in the extraordinary brains
of the Scarecrow.
And, after what seemed a very long time indeed to the anxious watchers,
the thinker sat up, looked upon his friends with his most whimsical
expression, and said:
"My brains work beautifully today. I'm quite proud of them. Now,
listen! If we attempt to escape through the doors of the palace we
shall surely be captured. And, as we can't escape through the ground,
there is only one other thing to be done. We must escape through the
air!"
He paused to note the effect of these words; but all his hearers seemed
puzzled and unconvinced.
"The Wonderful Wizard escaped in a balloon," he continued. "We don't
know how to make a balloon, of course; but any sort of thing that can
fly through the air can carry us easily. So I suggest that my friend
the Tin Woodman, who is a skillful mechanic, shall build some sort of
a machine, with good strong wings, to carry us; and our friend Tip can
then bring the Thing to life with his magical powder."
"Bravo!" cried Nick Chopper.
"What splendid brains!" murmured Jack.
"Really quite clever!" said the Educated Woggle-Bug.
[Illustration]
"I believe it can be done," declared Tip; "that is, if the Tin Woodman
is equal to making the Thing."
"I'll do my best," said Nick, cheerily; "and, as a matter of fact, I do
not often fail in what I attempt. But the Thing will have to be built
on the roof of the palace, so it can rise comfortably into the air."
"To be sure," said the Scarecrow.
"Then let us search through the palace," continued the Tin Woodman,
"and carry all the material we can find to the roof, where I will begin
my work."
"First, however," said the Pumpkinhead, "I beg you will release me from
this horse, and make me another leg to walk with. For in my present
condition I am of no use to myself or to anyone else."
So the Tin Woodman knocked a mahogany center-table to pieces with his
axe and fitted one of the legs, which was beautifully carved, on to the
body of Jack Pumpkinhead, who was very proud of the acquisition.
"It seems strange," said he, as he watched the Tin Woodman work, "that
my left leg should be the most elegant and substantial part of me."
"That proves you are unusual," returned the Scarecrow; "and I am
convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world
are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like the leaves of a
tree, and live and die unnoticed."
"Spoken like a philosopher!" cried the Woggle-Bug, as he assisted the
Tin Woodman to set Jack upon his feet.
"How do you feel now?" asked Tip, watching the Pumpkinhead stump
around to try his new leg.
"As good as new," answered Jack, joyfully, "and quite ready to assist
you all to escape."
"Then let us get to work," said the Scarecrow, in a business-like tone.
So, glad to be doing anything that might lead to the end of their
captivity, the friends separated to wander over the palace in search of
fitting material to use in the construction of their aerial machine.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration:
The Astonishing Flight
of the Gump
]
When the adventurers reassembled upon the roof it was found that a
remarkably queer assortment of articles had been selected by the
various members of the party. No one seemed to have a very clear idea
of what was required, but all had brought something.
The Woggle-Bug had taken from its position over the mantle-piece in the
great hallway the head of a Gump, which was adorned with wide-spreading
antlers; and this, with great care and greater difficulty, the insect
had carried up the stairs to the roof. This Gump resembled an Elk's
head, only the nose turned upward in a saucy manner and there were
whiskers upon its chin, like those of a billy-goat. Why the Woggle-Bug
selected this article he could not have explained, except that it had
aroused his curiosity.
Tip, with the aid of the Saw-Horse, had brought a large, upholstered
sofa to the roof. It was an old-fashioned piece of furniture, with high
back and ends, and it was so heavy that even by resting the greatest
weight upon the back of the Saw-Horse, the boy found himself out of
breath when at last the clumsy sofa was dumped upon the roof.
The Pumpkinhead had brought a broom, which was the first thing he saw.
The Scarecrow arrived with a coil of clotheslines and ropes which he
had taken from the courtyard, and in his trip up the stairs he had
become so entangled in the loose ends of the ropes that both he and his
burden tumbled in a heap upon the roof and might have rolled off if Tip
had not rescued him.
The Tin Woodman appeared last. He also had been to the courtyard, where
he had cut four great, spreading leaves from a huge palm-tree that was
the pride of all the inhabitants of the Emerald City.
"My dear Nick!" exclaimed the Scarecrow, seeing what his friend had
done; "you have been guilty of the greatest crime any person can
commit in the Emerald City. If I remember rightly, the penalty for
chopping leaves from the royal palm-tree is to be killed seven times
and afterward imprisoned for life."
[Illustration: ALL BROUGHT SOMETHING TO THE ROOF.]
"It cannot be helped now," answered the Tin Woodman, throwing down the
big leaves upon the roof. "But it may be one more reason why it is
necessary for us to escape. And now let us see what you have found for
me to work with."
Many were the doubtful looks cast upon the heap of miscellaneous
material that now cluttered the roof, and finally the Scarecrow shook
his head and remarked:
"Well, if friend Nick can manufacture, from this mess of rubbish, a
Thing that will fly through the air and carry us to safety, then I will
acknowledge him to be a better mechanic than I suspected."
But the Tin Woodman seemed at first by no means sure of his powers, and
only after polishing his forehead vigorously with the chamois-leather
did he resolve to undertake the task.
"The first thing required for the machine," said he, "is a body big
enough to carry the entire party. This sofa is the biggest thing we
have, and might be used for a body. But, should the machine ever tip
sideways, we would all slide off and fall to the ground."
"Why not use two sofas?" asked Tip. "There's another one just like this
down stairs."
"That is a very sensible suggestion," exclaimed the Tin Woodman. "You
must fetch the other sofa at once."
So Tip and the Saw-Horse managed, with much labor, to get the second
sofa to the roof; and when the two were placed together, edge to edge,
the backs and ends formed a protecting rampart all around the seats.
"Excellent!" cried the Scarecrow. "We can ride within this snug nest
quite at our ease."
The two sofas were now bound firmly together with ropes and
clotheslines, and then Nick Chopper fastened the Gump's head to one end.
"That will show which is the front end of the Thing," said he, greatly
pleased with the idea. "And, really, if you examine it critically, the
Gump looks very well as a figure-head. These great palm-leaves, for
which I have endangered my life seven times, must serve us as wings."
"Are they strong enough?" asked the boy.
"They are as strong as anything we can get," answered the Woodman; "and
although they are not in proportion to the Thing's body, we are not in
a position to be very particular."
So he fastened the palm-leaves to the sofas, two on each side.
Said the Woggle-Bug, with considerable admiration:
"The Thing is now complete, and only needs to be brought to life."
"Stop a moment!" exclaimed Jack. "Are you not going to use my broom?"
"What for?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Why, it can be fastened to the back end for a tail," answered the
Pumpkinhead. "Surely you would not call the Thing complete without a
tail."
"Hm!" said the Tin Woodman; "I do not see the use of a tail. We are not
trying to copy a beast, or a fish, or a bird. All we ask of the Thing
is to carry us through the air."
"Perhaps, after the Thing is brought to life, it can use a tail to
steer with," suggested the Scarecrow. "For if it flies through the air
it will not be unlike a bird, and I've noticed that all birds have
tails, which they use for a rudder while flying."
"Very well," answered Nick, "the broom shall be used for a tail," and
he fastened it firmly to the back end of the sofa body.
Tip took the pepper-box from his pocket.
"The Thing looks very big," said he, anxiously; "and I am not sure
there is enough powder left to bring all of it to life. But I'll make
it go as far as possible."
"Put most on the wings," said Nick Chopper; "for they must be made as
strong as possible."
"And don't forget the head!" exclaimed the Woggle-Bug.
"Or the tail!" added Jack Pumpkinhead.
"Do be quiet," said Tip, nervously; "you must give me a chance to work
the magic charm in the proper manner."
Very carefully he began sprinkling the Thing with the precious powder.
Each of the four wings was first lightly covered with a layer; then the
sofas were sprinkled, and the broom given a slight coating.
"The head! The head! Don't, I beg of you, forget the head!" cried the
Woggle-Bug, excitedly.
"There's only a little of the powder left," announced Tip, looking
within the box. "And it seems to me it is more important to bring the
legs of the sofas to life than the head."
"Not so," decided the Scarecrow. "Every thing must have a head to
direct it; and since this creature is to fly, and not walk, it is
really unimportant whether its legs are alive or not."
So Tip abided by this decision and sprinkled the Gump's head with the
remainder of the powder.
"Now," said he, "keep silence while I work the charm!"
Having heard old Mombi pronounce the magic words, and having also
succeeded in bringing the Saw-Horse to life, Tip did not hesitate an
instant in speaking the three cabalistic words, each accompanied by the
peculiar gesture of the hands.
It was a grave and impressive ceremony.
As he finished the incantation the Thing shuddered throughout its
huge bulk, the Gump gave the screeching cry that is familiar to those
animals, and then the four wings began flopping furiously.
[Illustration]
Tip managed to grasp a chimney, else he would have been blown off the
roof by the terrible breeze raised by the wings. The Scarecrow, being
light in weight, was caught up bodily and borne through the air until
Tip luckily seized him by one leg and held him fast. The Woggle-Bug
lay flat upon the roof and so escaped harm, and the Tin Woodman,
whose weight of tin anchored him firmly, threw both arms around Jack
Pumpkinhead and managed to save him. The Saw-Horse toppled over upon
his back and lay with his legs waving helplessly above him.
And now, while all were struggling to recover themselves, the Thing
rose slowly from the roof and mounted into the air.
"Here! Come back!" cried Tip, in a frightened voice, as he clung to the
chimney with one hand and the Scarecrow with the other. "Come back at
once, I command you!"
It was now that the wisdom of the Scarecrow, in bringing the head of
the Thing to life instead of the legs, was proved beyond a doubt. For
the Gump, already high in the air, turned its head at Tip's command and
gradually circled around until it could view the roof of the palace.
"Come back!" shouted the boy, again.
And the Gump obeyed, slowly and gracefully waving its four wings in
the air until the Thing had settled once more upon the roof and become
still.
[Illustration: "COME BACK!"]
[Illustration:
In the Jackdaws' Nest
]
"This," said the Gump, in a squeaky voice not at all proportioned to
the size of its great body, "is the most novel experience I ever heard
of. The last thing I remember distinctly is walking through the forest
and hearing a loud noise. Something probably killed me then, and it
certainly ought to have been the end of me. Yet here I am, alive again,
with four monstrous wings and a body which I venture to say would make
any respectable animal or fowl weep with shame to own. What does it all
mean? Am I a Gump, or am I a juggernaut?" The creature, as it spoke,
wiggled its chin whiskers in a very comical manner.
"You're just a Thing," answered Tip, "with a Gump's head on it. And we
have made you and brought you to life so that you may carry us through
the air wherever we wish to go."
"Very good!" said the Thing. "As I am not a Gump, I cannot have a
Gump's pride or independent spirit. So I may as well become your
servant as anything else. My only satisfaction is that I do not seem
to have a very strong constitution, and am not likely to live long in
a state of slavery."
"Don't say that, I beg of you!" cried the Tin Woodman, whose excellent
heart was strongly affected by this sad speech. "Are you not feeling
well today?"
"Oh, as for that," returned the Gump, "it is my first day of existence;
so I cannot judge whether I am feeling well or ill." And it waved its
broom tail to and fro in a pensive manner.
"Come, come!" said the Scarecrow, kindly; "do try to be more cheerful
and take life as you find it. We shall be kind masters, and will strive
to render your existence as pleasant as possible. Are you willing to
carry us through the air wherever we wish to go?"
"Certainly," answered the Gump. "I greatly prefer to navigate the air.
For should I travel on the earth and meet with one of my own species,
my embarrassment would be something awful!"
"I can appreciate that," said the Tin Woodman, sympathetically.
"And yet," continued the Thing, "when I carefully look you over, my
masters, none of you seems to be constructed much more artistically
than I am."
"Appearances are deceitful," said the Woggle-Bug, earnestly. "I am both
Highly Magnified and Thoroughly Educated."
"Indeed!" murmured the Gump, indifferently.
"And my brains are considered remarkably rare specimens," added the
Scarecrow, proudly.
"How strange!" remarked the Gump.
"Although I am of tin," said the Woodman, "I own a heart altogether the
warmest and most admirable in the whole world."
"I'm delighted to hear it," replied the Gump, with a slight cough.
"My smile," said Jack Pumpkinhead, "is worthy your best attention. It
is always the same."
"_Semper idem_," explained the Woggle-Bug, pompously; and the Gump
turned to stare at him.
"And I," declared the Saw-Horse, filling in an awkward pause, "am only
remarkable because I can't help it."
"I am proud, indeed, to meet with such exceptional masters," said
the Gump, in a careless tone. "If I could but secure so complete an
introduction to myself, I would be more than satisfied."
"That will come in time," remarked the Scarecrow. "To 'Know Thyself'
is considered quite an accomplishment, which it has taken us, who are
your elders, months to perfect. But now," he added, turning to the
others, "let us get aboard and start upon our journey."
"Where shall we go?" asked Tip, as he clambered to a seat on the sofas
and assisted the Pumpkinhead to follow him.
"In the South Country rules a very delightful Queen called Glinda
the Good, who I am sure will gladly receive us," said the Scarecrow,
getting into the Thing clumsily. "Let us go to her and ask her advice."
"That is cleverly thought of," declared Nick Chopper, giving the
Woggle-Bug a boost and then toppling the Saw-Horse into the rear end
of the cushioned seats. "I know Glinda the Good, and believe she will
prove a friend indeed."
"Are we all ready?" asked the boy.
"Yes," announced the Tin Woodman, seating himself beside the Scarecrow.
"Then," said Tip, addressing the Gump, "be kind enough to fly with us
to the Southward; and do not go higher than to escape the houses and
trees, for it makes me dizzy to be up so far."
"All right," answered the Gump, briefly.
It flopped its four huge wings and rose slowly into the air; and then,
while our little band of adventurers clung to the backs and sides of
the sofas for support, the Gump turned toward the South and soared
swiftly and majestically away.
"The scenic effect, from this altitude, is marvelous," commented the
educated Woggle-Bug, as they rode along.
"Never mind the scenery," said the Scarecrow. "Hold on tight, or you
may get a tumble. The Thing seems to rock badly."
"It will be dark soon," said Tip, observing that the sun was low on the
horizon. "Perhaps we should have waited until morning. I wonder if the
Gump can fly in the night."
"I've been wondering that myself," returned the Gump, quietly. "You
see, this is a new experience to me. I used to have legs that carried
me swiftly over the ground. But now my legs feel as if they were
asleep."
"They are," said Tip. "We didn't bring 'em to life."
"You're expected to fly," explained the Scarecrow; "not to walk."
"We can walk ourselves," said the Woggle-Bug.
"I begin to understand what is required of me," remarked the Gump; "so
I will do my best to please you," and he flew on for a time in silence.
Presently Jack Pumpkinhead became uneasy.
"I wonder if riding through the air is liable to spoil pumpkins," he
said.
"Not unless you carelessly drop your head over the side," answered the
Woggle-Bug. "In that event your head would no longer be a pumpkin, for
it would become a squash."
"Have I not asked you to restrain these unfeeling jokes?" demanded Tip,
looking at the Woggle-Bug with a severe expression.
"You have; and I've restrained a good many of them," replied the
insect. "But there are opportunities for so many excellent puns in our
language that, to an educated person like myself, the temptation to
express them is almost irresistible."
"People with more or less education discovered those puns centuries
ago," said Tip.
"Are you sure?" asked the Woggle-Bug, with a startled look.
"Of course I am," answered the boy. "An educated Woggle-Bug may be a
new thing; but a Woggle-Bug education is as old as the hills, judging
from the display you make of it."
The insect seemed much impressed by this remark, and for a time
maintained a meek silence.
The Scarecrow, in shifting his seat, saw upon the cushions the
pepper-box which Tip had cast aside, and began to examine it.
"Throw it overboard," said the boy; "it's quite empty now, and there's
no use keeping it."
"Is it really empty?" asked the Scarecrow, looking curiously into the
box.
"Of course it is," answered Tip. "I shook out every grain of the
powder."
"Then the box has two bottoms," announced the Scarecrow; "for the
bottom on the inside is fully an inch away from the bottom on the
outside."
"Let me see," said the Tin Woodman, taking the box from his friend.
"Yes," he declared, after looking it over, "the thing certainly has a
false bottom. Now, I wonder what that is for?"
"Can't you get it apart, and find out?" enquired Tip, now quite
interested in the mystery.
"Why, yes; the lower bottom unscrews," said the Tin Woodman. "My
fingers are rather stiff; please see if you can open it."
He handed the pepper-box to Tip, who had no difficulty in unscrewing
the bottom. And in the cavity below were three silver pills, with a
carefully folded paper lying underneath them.
This paper the boy proceeded to unfold, taking care not to spill the
pills, and found several lines clearly written in red ink.
"Read it aloud," said the Scarecrow; so Tip read as follows:
"DR. NIKIDIK'S CELEBRATED WISHING PILLS.
"_Directions for Use_: Swallow one pill; count seventeen by twos;
then make a Wish.--The Wish will immediately be granted.
"CAUTION: Keep in a Dry and Dark Place."
"Why, this is a very valuable discovery!" cried the Scarecrow.
"It is, indeed," replied Tip, gravely. "These pills may be of great
use to us. I wonder if old Mombi knew they were in the bottom of the
pepper-box. I remember hearing her say that she got the Powder of Life
from this same Nikidik."
"He must be a powerful Sorcerer!" exclaimed the Tin Woodman; "and since
the powder proved a success we ought to have confidence in the pills."
"But how," asked the Scarecrow, "can anyone count seventeen by twos?
Seventeen is an odd number.
"That is true," replied Tip, greatly disappointed. "No one can possibly
count seventeen by twos."
"Then the pills are of no use to us," wailed the Pumpkinhead; "and this
fact overwhelms me with grief. For I had intended wishing that my head
would never spoil."
"Nonsense!" said the Scarecrow, sharply. "If we could use the pills at
all we would make far better wishes than that."
"I do not see how anything could be better," protested poor Jack. "If
you were liable to spoil at any time you could understand my anxiety."
"For my part," said the Tin Woodman, "I sympathize with you in every
respect. But since we cannot count seventeen by twos, sympathy is all
you are liable to get."
By this time it had become quite dark, and the voyagers found above
them a cloudy sky, through which the rays of the moon could not
penetrate.
The Gump flew steadily on, and for some reason the huge sofa-body
rocked more and more dizzily every hour.
The Woggle-Bug declared he was sea-sick; and Tip was also pale and
somewhat distressed. But the others clung to the backs of the sofas and
did not seem to mind the motion as long as they were not tipped out.
Darker and darker grew the night, and on and on sped the Gump through
the black heavens. The travelers could not even see one another, and
an oppressive silence settled down upon them.
After a long time Tip, who had been thinking deeply, spoke.
"How are we to know when we come to the palace of Glinda the Good?" he
asked.
"It's a long way to Glinda's palace," answered the Woodman; "I've
traveled it."
"But how are we to know how fast the Gump is flying?" persisted the
boy. "We cannot see a single thing down on the earth, and before
morning we may be far beyond the place we want to reach."