said:
"Much obliged. I feel much better. I'm not stuck on that picket any
more."
The Horners began to laugh, thinking this was a joke, but the Scarecrow
shook himself and patted his straw a little and said to Dorothy: "Is
there much of a hole in my back?"
The little girl examined him carefully.
"There's quite a hole," she said. "But I've got a needle and thread in
the knapsack and I'll sew you up again."
"Do so," he begged earnestly, and again the Horners laughed, to the
Scarecrow's great annoyance.
While Dorothy was sewing up the hole in the straw man's back Scraps
examined the other parts of him.
"One of his legs is ripped, too!" she exclaimed.
"Oho!" cried little Diksey; "that's bad. Give him the needle and thread
and let him mend his ways."
"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed the Chief, and the other Horners at once roared
with laughter.
"What's funny?" inquired the Scarecrow sternly.
"Don't you see?" asked Diksey, who had laughed even harder than the
others. "That's a joke. It's by odds the best joke I ever made. You walk
with your legs, and so that's the way you walk, and your legs are the
ways. See? So, when you mend your legs, you mend your ways. Ho, ho, ho!
hee, hee! I'd no idea I could make such a fine joke!"
"Just wonderful!" echoed the Chief. "How do you manage to do it,
Diksey?"
[Illustration]
"I don't know," said Diksey modestly. "Perhaps it's the radium, but I
rather think it's my splendid intellect."
"If you don't quit it," the Scarecrow told him, "there'll be a worse war
than the one you've escaped from."
Ojo had been deep in thought, and now he asked the Chief: "Is there a
dark well in any part of your country?"
"A dark well? None that ever I heard of," was the answer.
"Oh, yes," said Diksey, who overheard the boy's question. "There's a
very dark well down in my radium mine."
"Is there any water in it?" Ojo eagerly asked.
"Can't say; I've never looked to see. But we can find out."
So, as soon as the Scarecrow was mended, they decided to go with Diksey
to the mine. When Dorothy had patted the straw man into shape again he
declared he felt as good as new and equal to further adventures.
"Still," said he, "I prefer not to do picket duty again. High life
doesn't seem to agree with my constitution." And then they hurried away
to escape the laughter of the Horners, who thought this was another
joke.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
OJO FINDS THE DARK WELL
CHAP. 24
[Illustration]
They now followed Diksey to the farther end of the great cave, beyond
the Horner city, where there were several round, dark holes leading into
the ground in a slanting direction. Diksey went to one of these holes
and said:
"Here is the mine in which lies the dark well you are seeking. Follow me
and step carefully and I'll lead you to the place."
He went in first and after him came Ojo, and then Dorothy, with the
Scarecrow behind her. The Patchwork Girl entered last of all, for Toto
kept close beside his little mistress.
A few steps beyond the mouth of the opening it was pitch dark. "You
won't lose your way, though," said the Horner, "for there's only one
way to go. The mine's mine and I know every step of the way. How's that
for a joke, eh? The mine's mine." Then he chuckled gleefully as they
followed him silently down the steep slant. The hole was just big enough
to permit them to walk upright, although the Scarecrow, being much the
taller of the party, often had to bend his head to keep from hitting the
top.
The floor of the tunnel was difficult to walk upon because it had been
worn smooth as glass, and pretty soon Scraps, who was some distance
behind the others, slipped and fell head foremost. At once she began to
slide downward, so swiftly that when she came to the Scarecrow she
knocked him off his feet and sent him tumbling against Dorothy, who
tripped up Ojo. The boy fell against the Horner, so that all went
tumbling down the slide in a regular mix-up, unable to see where they
were going because of the darkness.
Fortunately, when they reached the bottom the Scarecrow and Scraps were
in front, and the others bumped against them, so that no one was hurt.
They found themselves in a vast cave which was dimly lighted by the tiny
grains of radium that lay scattered among the loose rocks.
"Now," said Diksey, when they had all regained their feet, "I will show
you where the dark well is. This is a big place, but if we hold fast to
each other we won't get lost."
They took hold of hands and the Horner led them into a dark corner,
where he halted.
"Be careful," said he warningly. "The well is at your feet."
"All right," replied Ojo, and kneeling down he felt in the well with his
hand and found that it contained a quantity of water. "Where's the gold
flask, Dorothy?" he asked, and the little girl handed him the flask,
which she had brought with her.
Ojo knelt again and by feeling carefully in the dark managed to fill the
flask with the unseen water that was in the well. Then he screwed the
top of the flask firmly in place and put the precious water in his
pocket.
"All right!" he said again, in a glad voice; "now we can go back."
They returned to the mouth of the tunnel and began to creep cautiously
up the incline. This time they made Scraps stay behind, for fear she
would slip again; but they all managed to get up in safety and the
Munchkin boy was very happy when he stood in the Horner city and
realized that the water from the dark well, which he and his friends had
traveled so far to secure, was safe in his jacket pocket.
[Illustration]
THEY BRIBE THE LAZY QUADLING
CHAP. 25
[Illustration: Every time I see a river I have chills]
"Now," said Dorothy, as they stood on the mountain path, having left
behind them the cave in which dwelt the Hoppers and the Horners, "I
think we must find a road into the Country of the Winkies, for there is
where Ojo wants to go next."
"Is there such a road?" asked the Scarecrow.
"I don't know," she replied. "I s'pose we can go back the way we came,
to Jack Pumpkinhead's house, and then turn into the Winkie Country; but
that seems like running 'round a haystack, doesn't it?"
"Yes," said the Scarecrow. "What is the next thing Ojo must get?"
"A yellow butterfly," answered the boy.
"That means the Winkie Country, all right, for it's the yellow country
of Oz," remarked Dorothy. "I think, Scarecrow, we ought to take him to
the Tin Woodman, for he's the Emp'ror of the Winkies and will help us to
find what Ojo wants."
"Of course," replied the Scarecrow, brightening at the suggestion. "The
Tin Woodman will do anything we ask him, for he's one of my dearest
friends. I believe we can take a crosscut into his country and so get to
his castle a day sooner than if we travel back the way we came."
"I think so, too," said the girl; "and that means we must keep to the
left."
They were obliged to go down the mountain before they found any path
that led in the direction they wanted to go, but among the tumbled rocks
at the foot of the mountain was a faint trail which they decided to
follow. Two or three hours' walk along this trail brought them to a
clear, level country, where there were a few farms and some scattered
houses. But they knew they were still in the Country of the Quadlings,
because everything had a bright red color. Not that the trees and
grasses were red, but the fences and houses were painted that color and
all the wild-flowers that bloomed by the wayside had red blossoms. This
part of the Quadling Country seemed peaceful and prosperous, if rather
lonely, and the road was now more distinct and easier to follow.
But just as they were congratulating themselves upon the progress they
had made they came upon a broad river which swept along between high
banks, and here the road ended and there was no bridge of any sort to
allow them to cross.
"This is queer," mused Dorothy, looking at the water reflectively. "Why
should there be any road, if the river stops everyone walking along it?"
"Wow!" said Toto, gazing earnestly into her face.
"That's the best answer you'll get," declared the Scarecrow, with his
comical smile, "for no one knows any more than Toto about this road."
Said Scraps:
"Ev'ry time I see a river,
I have chills that make me shiver,
For I never can forget
All the water's very wet.
If my patches get a soak
It will be a sorry joke;
So to swim I'll never try
Till I find the water dry."
"Try to control yourself, Scraps," said Ojo; "you're getting crazy
again. No one intends to swim that river."
"No," decided Dorothy, "we couldn't swim it if we tried. It's too big a
river, and the water moves awful fast."
"There ought to be a ferryman with a boat," said the Scarecrow; "but I
don't see any."
"Couldn't we make a raft?" suggested Ojo.
"There's nothing to make one of," answered Dorothy.
"Wow!" said Toto again, and Dorothy saw he was looking along the bank of
the river.
"Why, he sees a house over there!" cried the little girl. "I wonder we
didn't notice it ourselves. Let's go and ask the people how to get
'cross the river."
A quarter of a mile along the bank stood a small, round house, painted
bright red, and as it was on their side of the river they hurried toward
it. A chubby little man, dressed all in red, came out to greet them, and
with him were two children, also in red costumes. The man's eyes were
big and staring as he examined the Scarecrow and the Patchwork Girl, and
the children shyly hid behind him and peeked timidly at Toto.
"Do you live here, my good man?" asked the Scarecrow.
"I think I do, Most Mighty Magician," replied the Quadling, bowing low;
"but whether I'm awake or dreaming I can't be positive, so I'm not sure
where I live. If you'll kindly pinch me I'll find out all about it."
"You're awake," said Dorothy, "and this is no magician, but just the
Scarecrow."
"But he's alive," protested the man, "and he oughtn't to be, you know.
And that other dreadful person--the girl who is all patches--seems to be
alive, too."
"Very much so," declared Scraps, making a face at him. "But that isn't
your affair, you know."
"I've a right to be surprised, haven't I?" asked the man meekly.
"I'm not sure; but anyhow you've no right to say I'm dreadful. The
Scarecrow, who is a gentleman of great wisdom, thinks I'm beautiful,"
retorted Scraps.
"Never mind all that," said Dorothy. "Tell us, good Quadling, how we can
get across the river."
"I don't know," replied the Quadling.
"Don't you ever cross it?" asked the girl.
"Never."
"Don't travelers cross it?"
"Not to my knowledge," said he.
They were much surprised to hear this, and the man added: "It's a pretty
big river, and the current is strong. I know a man who lives on the
opposite bank, for I've seen him there a good many years; but we've
never spoken because neither of us has ever crossed over."
"That's queer," said the Scarecrow. "Don't you own a boat?"
The man shook his head.
"Nor a raft?"
"No."
"Where does this river go to?" asked Dorothy.
"That way," answered the man, pointing with one hand, "it goes into the
Country of the Winkies, which is ruled by the Tin Emperor, who must be a
mighty magician because he's all made of tin, and yet he's alive. And
that way," pointing with the other hand, "the river runs between two
mountains where dangerous people dwell."
The Scarecrow looked at the water before them.
"The current flows toward the Winkie Country," said he; "and so, if we
had a boat, or a raft, the river would float us there more quickly and
more easily than we could walk."
"That is true," agreed Dorothy; and then they all looked thoughtful and
wondered what could be done.
"Why can't the man make us a raft?" asked Ojo.
"Will you?" inquired Dorothy, turning to the Quadling.
The chubby man shook his head.
"I'm too lazy," he said. "My wife says I'm the laziest man in all Oz,
and she is a truthful woman. I hate work of any kind, and making a raft
is hard work."
"I'll give you my em'rald ring," promised the girl.
"No; I don't care for emeralds. If it were a ruby, which is the color I
like best, I might work a little while."
"I've got some Square Meal Tablets," said the Scarecrow. "Each one is
the same as a dish of soup, a fried fish, a mutton pot-pie, lobster
salad, charlotte russe and lemon jelly--all made into one little tablet
that you can swallow without trouble."
"Without trouble!" exclaimed the Quadling, much interested; "then those
tablets would be fine for a lazy man. It's such hard work to chew when
you eat."
"I'll give you six of those tablets if you'll help us make a raft,"
promised the Scarecrow. "They're a combination of food which people who
eat are very fond of. I never eat, you know, being straw; but some of my
friends eat regularly. What do you say to my offer, Quadling?"
"I'll do it," decided the man. "I'll help, and you can do most of the
work. But my wife has gone fishing for red eels to-day, so some of you
will have to mind the children."
Scraps promised to do that, and the children were not so shy when the
Patchwork Girl sat down to play with them. They grew to like Toto, too,
and the little dog allowed them to pat him on his head, which gave the
little ones much joy.
There were a number of fallen trees near the house and the Quadling got
his axe and chopped them into logs of equal length. He took his wife's
clothesline to bind these logs together, so that they would form a raft,
and Ojo found some strips of wood and nailed them along the tops of the
logs, to render them more firm. The Scarecrow and Dorothy helped roll
the logs together and carry the strips of wood, but it took so long to
make the raft that evening came just as it was finished, and with
evening the Quadling's wife returned from her fishing.
The woman proved to be cross and bad-tempered, perhaps because she had
only caught one red eel during all the day. When she found that her
husband had used her clothesline, and the logs she had wanted for
firewood, and the boards she had intended to mend the shed with, and a
lot of gold nails, she became very angry. Scraps wanted to shake the
woman, to make her behave, but Dorothy talked to her in a gentle tone
and told the Quadling's wife she was a Princess of Oz and a friend of
Ozma and that when she got back to the Emerald City she would send them
a lot of things to repay them for the raft, including a new clothesline.
This promise pleased the woman and she soon became more pleasant, saying
they could stay the night at her house and begin their voyage on the
river next morning.
This they did, spending a pleasant evening with the Quadling family and
being entertained with such hospitality as the poor people were able to
offer them. The man groaned a good deal and said he had overworked
himself by chopping the logs, but the Scarecrow gave him two more
tablets than he had promised, which seemed to comfort the lazy fellow.
THE TRICK RIVER
CHAP. 26
[Illustration]
Next morning they pushed the raft into the water and all got aboard. The
Quadling man had to hold the log craft fast while they took their
places, and the flow of the river was so powerful that it nearly tore
the raft from his hands. As soon as they were all seated upon the logs
he let go and away it floated and the adventurers had begun their voyage
toward the Winkie Country.
The little house of the Quadlings was out of sight almost before they
had cried their good-byes, and the Scarecrow said in a pleased voice:
"It won't take us long to get to the Winkie Country, at this rate."
They had floated several miles down the stream and were enjoying the
ride when suddenly the raft slowed up, stopped short, and then began to
float back the way it had come.
"Why, what's wrong?" asked Dorothy, in astonishment; but they were all
just as bewildered as she was and at first no one could answer the
question. Soon, however, they realized the truth: that the current of
the river had reversed and the water was now flowing in the opposite
direction--toward the mountains.
They began to recognize the scenes they had passed, and by and by they
came in sight of the little house of the Quadlings again. The man was
standing on the river bank and he called to them:
"How do you do? Glad to see you again. I forgot to tell you that the
river changes its direction every little while. Sometimes it flows one
way, and sometimes the other."
They had no time to answer him, for the raft was swept past the house
and a long distance on the other side of it.
"We're going just the way we don't want to go," said Dorothy, "and I
guess the best thing we can do is to get to land before we're carried
any farther."
But they could not get to land. They had no oars, nor even a pole to
guide the raft with. The logs which bore them floated in the middle of
the stream and were held fast in that position by the strong current.
So they sat still and waited and, even while they were wondering what
could be done, the raft slowed down, stopped, and began drifting the
other way--in the direction it had first followed. After a time they
repassed the Quadling house and the man was still standing on the bank.
He cried out to them:
"Good day! Glad to see you again. I expect I shall see you a good many
times, as you go by, unless you happen to swim ashore."
By that time they had left him behind and were headed once more straight
toward the Winkie Country.
"This is pretty hard luck," said Ojo in a discouraged voice. "The Trick
River keeps changing, it seems, and here we must float back and forward
forever, unless we manage in some way to get ashore."
"Can you swim?" asked Dorothy.
"No; I'm Ojo the Unlucky."
"Neither can I. Toto can swim a little, but that won't help us to get to
shore."
"I don't know whether I could swim, or not," remarked Scraps; "but
if I tried it I'd surely ruin my lovely patches."
"My straw would get soggy in the water and I would sink," said the
Scarecrow.
So there seemed no way out of their dilemma and being helpless they
simply sat still. Ojo, who was on the front of the raft, looked over
into the water and thought he saw some large fishes swimming about. He
found a loose end of the clothesline which fastened the logs together,
and taking a gold nail from his pocket he bent it nearly double, to
form a hook, and tied it to the end of the line. Having baited the hook
with some bread which he broke from his loaf, he dropped the line into
the water and almost instantly it was seized by a great fish.
They knew it was a great fish, because it pulled so hard on the line
that it dragged the raft forward even faster than the current of the
river had carried it. The fish was frightened, and it was a strong
swimmer. As the other end of the clothesline was bound around the logs
he could not get it away, and as he had greedily swallowed the gold hook
at the first bite he could not get rid of that, either.
When they reached the place where the current had before changed, the
fish was still swimming ahead in its wild attempt to escape. The raft
slowed down, yet it did not stop, because the fish would not let it. It
continued to move in the same direction it had been going. As the
current reversed and rushed backward on its course it failed to drag the
raft with it. Slowly, inch by inch, they floated on, and the fish tugged
and tugged and kept them going.
"I hope he won't give up," said Ojo anxiously. "If the fish can hold out
until the current changes again, we'll be all right."
The fish did not give up, but held the raft bravely on its course, till
at last the water in the river shifted again and floated them the way
they wanted to go. But now the captive fish found its strength failing.
Seeking a refuge, it began to drag the raft toward the shore. As they
did not wish to land in this place the boy cut the rope with his
pocket-knife and set the fish free, just in time to prevent the raft
from grounding.
[Illustration]
The next time the river backed up the Scarecrow managed to seize the
branch of a tree that overhung the water and they all assisted him to
hold fast and prevent the raft from being carried backward. While they
waited here, Ojo spied a long broken branch lying upon the bank, so he
leaped ashore and got it. When he had stripped off the side shoots he
believed he could use the branch as a pole, to guide the raft in case of
emergency.
They clung to the tree until they found the water flowing the right way,
when they let go and permitted the raft to resume its voyage. In spite
of these pauses they were really making good progress toward the Winkie
Country and having found a way to conquer the adverse current their
spirits rose considerably. They could see little of the country through
which they were passing, because of the high banks, and they met with no
boats or other craft upon the surface of the river.
Once more the trick river reversed its current, but this time the
Scarecrow was on guard and used the pole to push the raft toward a big
rock which lay in the water. He believed the rock would prevent their
floating backward with the current, and so it did. They clung to this
anchorage until the water resumed its proper direction, when they
allowed the raft to drift on.
Floating around a bend they saw ahead a high bank of water, extending
across the entire river, and toward this they were being irresistibly
carried. There being no way to arrest the progress of the raft they
clung fast to the logs and let the river sweep them on. Swiftly the raft
climbed the bank of water and slid down on the other side, plunging its
edge deep into the water and drenching them all with spray.
As again the raft righted and drifted on, Dorothy and Ojo laughed at the
ducking they had received; but Scraps was much dismayed and the
Scarecrow took out his handkerchief and wiped the water off the
Patchwork Girl's patches as well as he was able to. The sun soon dried
her and the colors of her patches proved good, for they did not run
together nor did they fade.
After passing the wall of water the current did not change or flow
backward any more but continued to sweep them steadily forward. The
banks of the river grew lower, too, permitting them to see more of the
country, and presently they discovered yellow buttercups and dandelions
growing amongst the grass, from which evidence they knew they had
reached the Winkie Country.
"Don't you think we ought to land?" Dorothy asked the Scarecrow.
"Pretty soon," he replied. "The Tin Woodman's castle is in the southern
part of the Winkie Country, and so it can't be a great way from here."
[Illustration]
Fearing they might drift too far, Dorothy and Ojo now stood up and
raised the Scarecrow in their arms, as high as they could, thus allowing
him a good view of the country. For a time he saw nothing he recognized,
but finally he cried:
"There it is! There it is!"
"What?" asked Dorothy.
"The Tin Woodman's tin castle. I can see its turrets glittering in the
sun. It's quite a way off, but we'd better land as quickly as we can."
They let him down and began to urge the raft toward the shore by means
of the pole. It obeyed very well, for the current was more sluggish now,
and soon they had reached the bank and landed safely.
The Winkie Country was really beautiful, and across the fields they
could see afar the silvery sheen of the tin castle. With light hearts
they hurried toward it, being fully rested by their long ride on the
river.
By and by they began to cross an immense field of splendid yellow
lilies, the delicate fragrance of which was very delightful.
"How beautiful they are!" cried Dorothy, stopping to admire the
perfection of these exquisite flowers.
"Yes," said the Scarecrow, reflectively, "but we must be careful not to
crush or injure any of these lilies."
"Why not?" asked Ojo.
"The Tin Woodman is very kind-hearted," was the reply, "and he hates to
see any living thing hurt in any way."
"Are flowers alive?" asked Scraps.
"Yes, of course. And these flowers belong to the Tin Woodman. So, in
order not to offend him, we must not tread on a single blossom."
"Once," said Dorothy, "the Tin Woodman stepped on a beetle and killed
the little creature. That made him very unhappy and he cried until his
tears rusted his joints, so he couldn't move 'em."
"What did he do then?" asked Ojo.
"Put oil on them, until the joints worked smooth again."
"Oh!" exclaimed the boy, as if a great discovery had flashed across his
mind. But he did not tell anybody what the discovery was and kept the
idea to himself.