"SAVE US WITH YOUR MAGIC, EXALTED ONE!"
For several minutes, the Scarecrow sat perfectly still while the
company stood shaking in their shoes. Then he asked loudly, "Where is
the Imperial Army?"
"It has retired to the caves at the end of the Island," quavered the
Grand Chew Chew.
"I thought as much," said the Scarecrow. "But never mind, there are
quite a lot of us."
"Us!" spluttered a tall Silverman indignantly. "We are not common
soldiers."
"No, very uncommon ones, but you have hard heads and long nails, and
I dare say will manage somehow. Come on, let's go. Chew, you may take
the lead."
"Go!" shrieked the Grand Chew Chew. "Us?" The Courtiers began backing
away in alarm. "Where--er--what--are your Highness' plans?"
"Why, just to conquer the King of the Golden Islands and send him
back home," said the Scarecrow, smiling engagingly. "That's what you
wanted, isn't it?"
"But it is not honorable for noblemen to fight. It--"
"Oh, of course, if you prefer burning--" The Scarecrow rose
unsteadily and started for the garden gates. Not a person stirred.
The Scarecrow looked back, and his reproachful face was too much for
Happy Toko.
"I'll come, exalted and radiant Scarecrowcus! Wait, honorable and
valiant Sir!"
"Bring a watering can, if you love me," called the Scarecrow over his
shoulder, and Happy, snatching one from a frightened gardener, dashed
after his Master.
"If things get too hot, I'd like to know that you can put me out,"
said the Scarecrow, his voice quivering with emotion. "You shall be
rewarded for this, my brave Tappy."
Happy did not answer, for his teeth were chattering so he could not
speak.
The harbor lay just below the Imperial Palace, and the Scarecrow and
Happy hurried on through the crowds of fleeing Silvermen, their
household goods packed upon their heads. Some cheered faintly for
Chang Wang Woe, but none offered to follow, save the faithful Happy.
"Is this king old?" asked the Scarecrow, looking anxiously at the
small boats full of warriors that were putting out from the fleet.
"He is the son of the King whom your Majesty conquered fifty years
ago," gulped Happy. "Ha--has your Imperial Highness any--plan?"
"Not yet," said the Scarecrow cheerfully, "but I'm thinking very
hard."
"Then, goodbye to Silver Island!" choked Happy Toko, dropping the
watering can with a crash.
"Never mind," said the Scarecrow kindly. "If they shoot me and I
catch fire, I'll jump in the water and you must fish me out, Tappy.
Now please don't talk any more. I must think!"
Poor Happy Toko had nothing else to say, for he considered his day
finished. The first of the invaders were already landing on the
beach, and standing up in a small boat, encased in glittering gold
armor, was the King of the Golden Islands, himself. The sun was quite
hot, and there was a smell of gunpowder in the air.
Now the Scarecrow had encountered many dangers in Oz and had usually
thought his way out of them, but as they came nearer and nearer to
the shore and no idea presented itself, he began to feel extremely
nervous. A bullet fired from the king's boat tore through his hat,
and the smoke made him more anxious than ever about his straw
stuffing. He felt hurriedly in his pocket, and his clumsy fingers
closed over the little fan he had plucked from the bean pole.
Partly from agitation and partly because he did not know what else to
do, the Scarecrow flipped the fan open. At that minute, a mighty roar
went up from the enemy, for at the first motion of the fan they had
been jerked fifty feet into the air, and there they hung suspended
over their ships, kicking and squealing for dear life. The Scarecrow
was as surprised as they, and as for Happy Toko, he fell straightway
on his nose!
"Magic!" exclaimed the Scarecrow. "Someone is helping us," and he
began fanning himself gently with the little fan, waiting to see what
would happen next. At each wave of the fan, the King of the Golden
Islands and his men flew higher until at last not one of them could
be seen from the shore.
"The fan. The magic is in the fan!" gasped Happy Toko, jumping up and
embracing the Scarecrow.
"Why, what do you mean?" asked the Scarecrow, closing the fan with a
snap. Happy's answer was drowned in a huge splash. As soon as the fan
was closed, down whirled the king's army into the sea, and each man
struck the water with such force that the spray rose high as a
skyscraper. And not till then did the Scarecrow realize the power of
the little fan he had been saving for Dorothy.
"Saved!" screamed Happy Toko, dancing up and down. "Hurrah for the
Emperor!"
The Emperor, without a plan,
Has won the victory with a fan.
The Silver Islanders had paused in their flight at the queer noises
coming from the harbor, and now all of them, hearing Tappy Oko's
cries, came crowding down to the shore and were soon cheering
themselves hoarse. No wonder! The drenched soldiers of the king were
climbing swiftly back into their boats, and when they were all
aboard, the Scarecrow waved his fan sidewise (he did not want to blow
them up again), and the ships swept out of the harbor so fast that
the water churned to silver suds behind them, and they soon were out
of sight.
"Ah!" cried the Grand Chew Chew, arriving breathlessly at this point,
"We have won the day!"
"So we have!" chuckled the Scarecrow, putting his arm around Happy
Toko. "Call the brave army and decorate the generals!"
"It shall be done," said the Grand Chew Chew, frowning at Happy.
"There shall be a great celebration, a feast, and fireworks."
"Fireworks," quavered the Scarecrow, clutching his Imperial Punster.
By this time, the Silver Islanders were crowding around the Emperor,
shouting and squealing for joy, and before he could prevent it, they
had placed him on their shoulders and carried him in triumph to the
palace. He managed to signal Happy, and Happy nodded reassuringly and
ran off as fast as his fat little legs could patter. He arrived at
the palace almost as soon as the Scarecrow, lugging a giant silver
watering can, and, sitting calmly on the steps of the throne, fanned
himself with his hat. The Scarecrow eyed the watering can with
satisfaction.
"Now let them have their old fireworks," he muttered under his
breath, and settled himself comfortably. The Grand Chew Chew was
hopping about like a ditched kite, arranging for the celebration. The
courtiers were shaking hands with themselves and forming in a long
line. A great table was being set in the hall.
"What a fuss they are making over nothing," said the Scarecrow to
Happy Toko. "Now in Oz when we win a victory, we all play some jolly
game and sit down to dinner with Ozma. Why, they haven't even set a
place for you, Happy!"
"I'd rather sit here, amiable Master," sighed Happy Toko happily. "Is
the little fan safely closed?"
The Scarecrow felt in his pocket to make sure, then leaned forward in
surprise. The Royal Silver Army were marching stiffly into the hall,
and the courtiers were bobbing and bowing and cheering like mad.
The General came straight to the great silver throne, clicked his
silver heels, bowed, and stood at attention.
"Well," said the Scarecrow, surveying this splendid person curiously,
"what is it?"
"They have come for their decorations," announced the Grand Chew
Chew, stepping up with a large silver platter full of medals.
"But I thought Tappy Oko and I saved the Island," chuckled the
Scarecrow, nudging the Imperial Punster.
"Had the Imperial Army not retired and left the field to you, there
would have been no victory," faltered the General in a timid voice.
"Therefore, in a way we are responsible for the victory. A great
general always knows when to retire."
"There's something in that," admitted the Scarecrow, scratching his
head thoughtfully. "Go ahead and decorate 'em, Chew Chew!"
This the Grand Chew Chew proceeded to do, making such a long speech
to each soldier that half of the Court fell asleep and the Scarecrow
fidgeted uncomfortably.
"They remind me of the Army of Oz," he confided to Happy Toko, "but
we never have long speeches in Oz. I declare, I wish I could go to
sleep, too, and that's something I have never seen any use in
before."
"They've just begun," yawned Happy Toko, nearly rolling down the
steps of the throne, and Happy was not far wrong, for all afternoon
one after the other of the courtiers arose and droned about the great
victory, and as they all addressed themselves to the Scarecrow, he
was forced to listen politely. When the speeches were over, there was
still the grand banquet to be got through, and as the Silver
Islanders ate much the same fare as their Chinese cousins, you can
imagine the poor Scarecrow's feelings.
"Ugh!" shivered the Scarecrow as the strange dishes appeared, "I'm
glad none of my friends are here. How fortunate that I'm stuffed with
straw!" The broiled mice, the stewed shark fins and the bird nest
soup made him stare. He had ordered Happy Toko to be placed at his
side, and to watch him happily at work with his silver chopsticks and
porcelain spoon was the only satisfaction he got out of the feast.
"And what is that?" he asked, pointing to a steaming bowl that had
just been placed before Happy.
"Minced cat, your Highness," replied Happy, sprinkling it generously
with silver polish.
"Cat?" shrieked the Scarecrow, pouncing to his feet in horror. "Do
you mean to tell me you are eating a poor, innocent, little cat?"
"Not a poor one at all. A very rich one, I should say," replied Happy
Toko with his mouth full. "Ah, had your Highness only your old body,
how you would enjoy this!"
"Never!" shouted the Scarecrow so loudly that all of the Courtiers
looked up in surprise. "How dare you eat innocent cats?" Indignantly
he thought of Dorothy's pet kitten back in Oz. Oz--why had he ever
left that wonderful country?
"Your Highness has eaten hundreds," announced the Grand Chew Chew
calmly. "Hundreds!"
The Scarecrow dropped back into his chair, too shocked for speech.
He, the Scarecrow of Oz, had eaten hundreds of cats! What would
Dorothy say to that? Ugh! This was his first experience with Silver
Island fare. He had always spent the dinner hours in the garden. He
sighed, and looked wistfully at the bean pole in the center of the
hall. Every minute he was feeling less and less like the Emperor of
the Silver Island and more and more like the plain Scarecrow of Oz.
"Your Majesty seems out of spirits," said Happy Toko as he placed
himself and the huge watering can beside the Emperor's bench in the
garden later in the evening.
"I wish I were," said the Scarecrow. "To have an Emperor's spirit
wished on you is no joke, my dear Tappy. It's a blinking bore!" At
that moment, the fireworks commenced. The garden, ablaze with many
shaped silver lanterns, looked more like Fairyland than ever. But
each rocket made the Scarecrow wince. Showers of stars and
butterflies fell 'round his head, fiery dragons leaped over the
trees, and in all the Fourth of July celebrations you could imagine
there were never such marvelous fireworks as these. No wonder Happy
Toko, gazing in delight, forgot his promises to his Royal Master.
Soon the Scarecrow's fears were realized, and his straw stuffing
began to smoke.
"Put me out! Put me out!" cried the Scarecrow, as a shower of sparks
settled in his lap. The royal band made such a din and the courtiers
such a clatter that Happy did not hear.
All of the Silver Islanders were intent on the display, and they
forgot all about their unhappy and smoking Emperor.
"Help! Water! Water! Fire!" screamed the Scarecrow, jumping off his
throne and knocking Happy head over heels. Thus brought to his
senses, Happy hurriedly seized the watering can and sprinkled its
contents on the smoking Emperor.
"Am I out?" gasped the Emperor anxiously. "A fine way to celebrate a
victory, lighting me up like a Roman candle!"
"Yes, dear Master," said the repentant Happy, helping the dripping
Scarecrow to his feet, "it only scorched your royal robe. And it's
all over, anyway. Let us go in."
The dripping Emperor was quite ready to follow his Imperial Punster's
advice.
"Now that I am put out, let us by all means go in," said the
Scarecrow gloomily, and the two slipped off without anyone noticing
their departure.
"I'm afraid I'll have to have some new stuffing tomorrow," observed
the Scarecrow, sinking dejectedly on his throne. "Tappy, my dear boy,
after this never leave me alone, do you hear?" Happy Toko made no
reply. He had fallen asleep beside the Imperial Throne.
The Scarecrow might have called his court, but he was in no mood for
more of the Silver Islanders' idea of a good time. He longed for the
dear friends of his loved Land of Oz.
One by one the lights winked out in the gardens, and the noisy
company dispersed, and soon no one in the palace was awake but the
Scarecrow. His straw was wet and soggy, and even his excellent brains
felt damp and dull.
"If it weren't for Tappy Oko, how lonely I should be." He stared
through the long, dim, empty hall with its shimmering silver screens
and vases. "I wonder what little Dorothy is doing," sighed the
Scarecrow wistfully.