Escape from Cave City
The last thing Trot remembered was an ear splitting explosion, a
terrible tumble through a dark tunnel, a terrific splash and the
sudden shock of finding herself under water. Choking and spluttering
the little girl struck out valiantly. As she did, two wet arms clasped
themselves 'round her waist and she felt herself being borne swiftly
upward. Next instant the warm sun was shining on her face and, opening
her eyes, Trot found herself on the surface of Lake Orizon. Supporting
her with one arm, Orpah was swimming steadily toward a rocky beach.
Blinking and gasping, for she had swallowed a dreadful dose of salt
water, the little girl tried to look for her friends. But there was no
sign of Benny or the Scarecrow, nor of the jeweled islands she had seen
before the bird-man dropped her in Quiberon's cave.
Too exhausted to ask questions, Trot let the old mer-man tow her
ashore. As it grew shallower, he lifted her in his arms and set her on
a high rock out of the reach of the tide.
"Now, I must go back for the others," he wheezed hoarsely. "But we're
free--free my girl--and all of our troubles are over!"
Trot smiled faintly, too wet and shaken to say a word and, with a
joyous flirt of his tail, Orpah disappeared under the waves. But
the warm sunshine and bracing breeze soon restored Trot to herself.
Wringing out her dress and shaking back her hair she began to look
eagerly for the return of Orpah. She wondered just how she had reached
the bottom of the lake and whether Benny and the Scarecrow had been
blown there with her. And before she had answered this question to her
own satisfaction, the hard head of the stone man appeared suddenly
above the water. At each step he rose higher and Orpah, swimming
joyously at his side, waved gaily to Trot. Benny was carrying the
Scarecrow in his arms, and when they reached the little girl's rock,
the straw man gave a feeble cheer.
Benny had lost his high hat and umbrella and was covered with clinging
sea weeds, but at sight of Trot, safe and sound upon the rocks, his
stone lips parted in a broad smile.
"Well," rasped Benny jovially, "This is better than being shades, but
let's go in where it's dryer."
"By all means," coughed the Scarecrow. "I feel like a sponge!" As Benny
came opposite, Trot, standing on tip-toe, put her arms 'round his neck.
Striding easily over the jagged rocks, the stone man carried both Trot
and the Scarecrow far up on the beach. The mer-man had recovered his
crutches by this time, and hobbled happily along behind them.
"I'm glad you're not a real man yet," muttered the Scarecrow, as Benny
put him carefully down on the sand, "A real man could never have walked
along the bottom of a lake, nor saved us from being shadows."
"Did I save you?" asked Benny, easing Trot down beside the Scarecrow.
"Of course you did!" Dragging himself up beside the others, Orpah
beamed on the former statue. "When you refused to melt into a shadow,
Ozeerus turned the blue ray higher and higher till it exploded and blew
out the side of the cave and carried us all to the bottom of the lake."
"But where are the Ozure Isles?" questioned Trot, standing up and
shading her eyes with one hand.
"Back there," explained Orpah, waving toward the west. "That blue ray
blew us clear across the bottom of the lake to the mainland."
"I shall never be the same," the Scarecrow assured them sorrowfully.
"I feel like an aquarium. Is my face washed off, Trot? And see what's
got into my chest, will you?" Trot thrust her hand into the Scarecrow's
stuffed shirt and, with a little grimace, brought forth a wriggling
fish. There were several crabs and a turtle in the Scarecrow's pockets,
but after they had shaken him well and restored the wiggling creatures
to the lake, Trot and Orpah wrung out the poor straw man and stretched
him in the sun to dry.
"You'll be all right soon," smiled Trot, giving him a little hug, "and
when we reach the Emerald City, you can have yourself laundered and
restuffed and I'll touch up your face with my new paints."
"But what are we going to do now?" asked Benny, surveying the little
girl expectantly.
"Well," answered Trot, shaking back her wet hair, "I think we'd better
get back to the Emerald City as soon as we can, so that Ozma can help
find the Queen of the Ozure Isles, and keep Quiberon from doing any
more mischief. Don't you think so, Orpah?"
"That's the best thing I've heard since I escaped from Cave City,"
smiled the mer-man, "and if you can spare me, I'll swim across right
now and tell Cheeriobed the good news."
"Don't be too sure it will be good," sighed the Scarecrow, raising his
head with a great effort. He still felt damp and depressed, but Trot
shook the old mer-man heartily by the hand and promised to return with
Ozma to the Ozure Isles.
"I'd like to see the Sapphire City again," finished Trot.
"If Trot comes, I'll come too," promised Benny, "but you may not know
me, for I'll be a real person after I have seen the Wizard of Oz!"
"You're a real person now," chuckled Orpah, tapping Benny on the arm
with his gold crutch, "and Cheeriobed will reward you well for your
services."
"I hope they won't hang wreaths 'round my neck," worried Benny, as the
mer-man dove into the lake. "I hate wreaths! When do we start on, Trot?"
"As soon as the Scarecrow dries off and I find something to eat,"
answered Trot. "Oh, Benny, I'm _so_ hungry!"
"What's that?" inquired Benny, in surprise.
"It's the way she's made," explained the Scarecrow patiently, "and one
of the inconveniences of being a real person. Real people, my dear
Benny, must eat three times a day, at least. I'm glad I'm stuffed with
straw and you may thank your hackers and hewers that _you_ are made of
stone!"
"But, what will she eat?" asked Benny, staring at Trot with a worried
frown.
"Oh, I'll find something," laughed Trot, who was used to taking care
of herself and picking up lunches in strange lands. Running to the top
of a small sand dune, she looked carefully all around and soon found a
big clump of beach plums. A toast tree grew nearby and between the two,
Trot fared extremely well. The brisk breezes dried her clothes, while
she ate and, feeling rested and refreshed, Trot skipped back to her
companions, thinking how astonished Dorothy and Betsy would be when
she told them about Cave City and the bird-man.
The Scarecrow was telling Benny something of life in the capital, and
the more the Public Benefactor heard about this strange and marvelous
city, the more anxious he was to be off. The Scarecrow himself could
now walk without collapsing, so as soon as Trot appeared they both
declared themselves ready to start.
"I know this country," declared the Scarecrow with a knowing wink. "We
have but to walk east until we come to Jinjur's cottage, then proceed
in a south westerly direction, till we reach the Emerald City itself."
"Who is Jinjur?" inquired Benny, tramping heavily through the tall
grass.
"A young lady who gathered an army of girls and conquered the Emerald
City when I was Emperor," answered the Scarecrow, with a merry glance
at Trot.
"How unladylike!" mused the stone man. "Are you not afraid she will
conquer you again?"
"Dear me, no!" laughed the Scarecrow. "That's all over and done with
and Jinjur and I are the best of friends. I was tired of being Emperor,
anyway," he finished carelessly. "It's more fun being yourself."
"Will I be myself when I'm a real man?" asked the statue soberly. "I'm
beginning to feel happy the way I am."
"That's because you're helping everybody," exclaimed Trot, giving him a
little pat.
"Is it?" Stroking his chin thoughtfully, the stone man stopped. "I
don't even mind losing my hat and umbrella," he finished in surprise.
"We'll soon find you new ones," promised the Scarecrow. "As soon as we
reach the Emerald City, and when we've helped find this lost Queen, you
can settle down with us and be happy ever afterward."
"How long is that?" Benny eyed the straw man with deep interest.
"For as long as you live," announced Trot with a little skip.
"Then I hope I live always," sighed Benny. "I'd hate to stand still
for fifty years like I did before. And if I'm ever called upon to be a
statue again, I hope I'll be a sitting-down statue. You have no idea
how tiresome it is standing up for yourself and somebody you have never
seen, year after year."
The Scarecrow nodded sympathetically and, talking of this and that,
but especially of the Ozure Isles, the three travelers crossed several
meadows and finally came to a narrow blue highway. It was so narrow
they had to walk single file, but as the Scarecrow declared that any
road was better than none, they proceeded along the highway until the
strawman, who was in the lead, came to a full stop.
"What's the matter?" demanded Trot, who came next. The Scarecrow
squeezed aside so the others could see ahead and, peering anxiously
over his shoulder, Trot saw a curious blue turnstile.
"Shall we go on?" asked the Scarecrow uncertainly, "or shall we go
back?"
Standing on tip-toes, Trot tried to see where the road beyond the
turnstile went to.
"Let's go on," decided Trot, who could not help feeling curious. So the
Scarecrow stepped through the turnstile and the others quickly followed
him.
Round the first bend in the road hung a big circular sign.
"_ROUNDABOUT WAY_"
"May-be the longest way 'round is the shortest way home," observed the
Scarecrow, "and now that we are on it we may as well discover where
this road goes." But it was impossible to see far. Bushy trees grew on
each side of the blue pathway and it curved so that they could see only
a few feet ahead.
"This makes me dizzy," confessed Trot, after they had gone around
dozens and dozens of curves. "Do you suppose it leads anywhere at all?"
"Well, here's a round house!" exclaimed the Scarecrow. "Shall we go in?"
Coming 'round the last curve, Trot and Benny saw an enormous wooden
dome, larger than ten circus tents rolled into one. There were round
windows in the walls halfway up and in the side toward them a swiftly
revolving door. Before the others had quite decided what to do, the
Scarecrow stepped through the swinging door and disappeared.
"Now we'll have to go in," decided Trot, anxiously and, waiting her
chance, she dashed after the Scarecrow and Benny stepped into the
section immediately back of Trot.