The Marvelous Land of Oz
Page 9
"Is fire dangerous to pumpkins?" asked Jack, fearfully.
"You'll be baked like a tart--and so will I!"
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answered the Woggle-Bug, getting down on all fours so he could run thefaster.
But the Tin Woodman, having no fear of fire, averted the stampede by a fewsensible words.
"Look at the Field Mouse!" he shouted. "The fire does not burn her in theleast. In fact, it is no fire at all, but only a deception."
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Indeed, to watch the little Queen march calmly through the advancing flamesrestored courage to every member of the party, and they followed her withoutbeing even scorched.
"This is surely a most extraordinary adventure," said the Woggle-Bug, whowas greatly amazed; "for it upsets all the Natural Laws that I heardProfessor Nowitall teach in the school-house."
"Of course it does," said the Scarecrow, wisely. "All magic is unnatural,and for that reason is to be feared and avoided. But I see before us thegates of the Emerald City, so I imagine we have now overcome all the magicalobstacles that seemed to oppose us."
Indeed, the walls of the City were plainly visible, and the Queen of theField Mice, who had guided them so faithfully, came near to bid them good-bye.
"We are very grateful to your Majesty for your kind assistance," said theTin Woodman, bowing before the pretty creature.
"I am always pleased to be of service to my friends," answered the Queen,and in a flash she had darted away upon her journey home.
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169 The Prisoners of the Queen
Approaching the gateway of the Emerald City the travelers found it guardedby two girls of the Army of Revolt, who opposed their entrance by drawingthe knitting-needles from their hair and threatening to prod the first thatcame near.
But the Tin Woodman was not afraid."
At the worst they can but scratch my beautiful nickel-plate," he said. "Butthere will be no 'worst,' for I think I can manage to frighten these absurdsoldiers very easily. Follow me closely, all of you!"
Then, swinging his axe in a great circle to right and left before him, headvanced upon the gate, and the others followed him without hesitation.
The girls, who had expected no resistance whatever, were terrified by thesweep of the glittering axe and fled screaming into the city; so that our
170travelers passed the gates in safety and marched down the green marblepavement of the wide street toward the royal palace.
"At this rate we will soon have your Majesty upon the throne again," saidthe Tin Woodman, laughing at his easy conquest of the guards.
"Thank you, friend Nick," returned the Scarecrow, gratefully. "Nothing canresist your kind heart and your sharp axe."
As they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that menwere sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around ingroups, gossiping and laughing.
"What has happened?" the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushybeard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along thesidewalk.
"Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty as you ought to know very well,"replied the man; "and since you went away the women have been running thingsto suit themselves. I'm glad you have decided to come back and restoreorder, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out thestrength of every man in the Emerald City."
"Hm!" said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. "If it
171is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?"
"I really do not know" replied the man, with a deep sigh. "Perhaps the womenare made of castiron."
No movement was made, as they passed along the street, to oppose theirprogress. Several of the women stopped their gossip long enough to castcurious looks upon our friends, but immediately they would turn away with alaugh or a sneer and resume their chatter. And when they met with severalgirls belonging to the Army of Revolt, those soldiers, instead of beingalarmed or appearing surprised, merely stepped out of the way and allowedthem to advance without protest.
This action rendered the Scarecrow uneasy."
I'm afraid we are walking into a trap," said he.
"Nonsense!" returned Nick Chopper, confidently; "the silly creatures areconquered already!"
But the Scarecrow shook his head in a way that expressed doubt, and Tipsaid:
"It's too easy, altogether. Look out for trouble ahead."
"I will," returned his Majesty. Unopposed they reached the royal palace andmarched up the marble steps, which had once been
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"IT'S TOO EASY, ALTOGETHER."
173thickly crusted with emeralds but were now filled with tiny holes where thejewels had been ruthlessly torn from their settings by the Army of Revolt.And so far not a rebel barred their way.
Through the arched hallways and into the magnificent throne room marched theTin Woodman and his followers, and here, when the green silken curtains fellbehind them, they saw a curious sight.
Seated within the glittering throne was General Jinjur, with the Scarecrow'ssecond-best crown upon her head, and the royal sceptre in her right hand. Abox of caramels, from which she was eating, rested in her lap, and the girlseemed entirely at ease in her royal surroundings.
The Scarecrow stepped forward and confronted her, while the Tin Woodmanleaned upon his axe and the others formed a half-circle back of hisMajesty's person.
"How dare you sit in my throne?" demanded the Scarecrow, sternly eyeing theintruder. "Don't you know you are guilty of treason, and that there is a lawagainst treason?"
"The throne belongs to whoever is able to take it," answered Jinjur, as sheslowly ate another caramel. "I have taken it, as you see; so just now I amthe Queen, and all who oppose me are guilty of
174treason, and must be punished by the law you have just mentioned."
This view of the case puzzled the Scarecrow.
"How is it, friend Nick?" he asked, turning to the Tin Woodman.
"Why, when it comes to Law, I have nothing to, say" answered that personage."for laws were never meant to be understood, and it is foolish to make theattempt."
"Then what shall we do?" asked the Scarecrow, in dismay.
"Why don't you marry the Queen? And then you can both rule," suggested theWoggle-Bug.
Jinjur glared at the insect fiercely. "Why don't you send her back to hermother, where she belongs?" asked Jack Pumpkinhead.
Jinjur frowned.
"Why don't you shut her up in a closet until she behaves herself, andpromises to be good?" enquired Tip. Jinjur's lip curled scornfully.
"Or give her a good shaking!" added the Saw-Horse.
"No," said the Tin Woodman, "we must treat the poor girl with gentleness.Let us give her all the Jewels she can carry, and send her away happy andcontented."
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At this Queen Jinjur laughed aloud, and the next minute clapped her prettyhands together thrice, as if for a signal.
"You are very absurd creatures," said she; "but I am tired of your nonsenseand have no time to bother with you longer."
While the monarch and his friends listened in amazement to this impudentspeech, a startling thing happened. The Tin Woodman's axe was snatched fromhis grasp by some person behind him, and he found himself disarmed andhelpless. At the same instant a shout of laughter rang in the ears of thedevoted band, and turning to see whence this came they found themselvessurrounded by the Army of Revolt, the girls bearing in either hand theirglistening knitting-needles. The entire throne room seemed to be filled withthe rebels, and the Scarecrow and his comrades realized that they wereprisoners.
"You see how foolish it is to oppose a woman's wit," said Jinjur, gaily;"and this event only proves that I am more fit to rule the Emerald City thana Scarecrow. I bear you no ill will, I assure you; but lest you should provetroublesome to me in the future I shall order you all to be destroyed. Tha
tis, all except the boy, who belongs to old Mombi and must be restored to herkeeping. The rest of
176you are not human, and therefore it will not be wicked to demolish you. TheSaw-Horse and the Pumpkinhead's body I will have chopped up for kindling-wood; and the pumpkin shall be made into tarts. The Scarecrow will do nicelyto start a bonfire, and the tin man can be cut into small pieces and fed tothe goats. As for this immense Woggle-Bug--"
"Highly Magnified, if you please!" interrupted the insect.
"I think I will ask the cook to make green-turtle soup of you," continuedthe Queen, reflectively.
The Woggle-Bug shuddered.
"Or, if that won't do, we might use you for a Hungarian goulash, stewed andhighly spiced," she added, cruelly.
This programme of extermination was so terrible that the prisoners lookedupon one another in a panic of fear. The Scarecrow alone did not give way todespair. He stood quietly before the Queen and his brow was wrinkled in deepthought as he strove to find some means to escape.
While thus engaged he felt the straw within his breast move gently. At oncehis expression changed from sadness to joy, and raising his hand he quicklyunbuttoned the front of his jacket.
This action did not pass unnoticed by the crowd
177of girls clustering about him, but none of them suspected what he was doinguntil a tiny grey mouse leaped from his bosom to the floor and scampered
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away between the feet of the Army of Revolt. Another mouse quickly followed;then another and another, in rapid succession. And suddenly such a
178scream of terror went up from the Army that it might easily have filled thestoutest heart with consternation. The flight that ensued turned to astampede, and the stampede to a panic.
For while the startled mice rushed wildly about the room the Scarecrow hadonly time to note a whirl of skirts and a twinkling of feet as the girlsdisappeared from the palace--pushing and crowding one another in their madefforts to escape.
The Queen, at the first alarm, stood up on the cushions of the throne andbegan to dance frantically upon her tiptoes. Then a mouse ran up thecushions, and with a terrified leap poor Jinjur shot clear over the head ofthe Scarecrow and escaped through an archway--never pausing in her wildcareer until she had reached the city gates.
So, in less time than I can explain, the throne room was deserted by allsave the Scarecrow and his friends, and the Woggle-Bug heaved a deep sigh ofrelief as he exclaimed:
"Thank goodness, we are saved!"
"For a time, yes;" answered the Tin Woodman. "But the enemy will soonreturn, I fear."
"Let us bar all the entrances to the palace!" said the Scarecrow. "Then weshall have time to think what is best to be done."
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So all except Jack Pumpkinhead, who was still tied fast to the Saw-Horse,ran to the various entrances of the royal palace and closed the heavy doors,bolting and locking them securely. Then, knowing that the Army of Revoltcould not batter down the barriers in several days, the adventurers gatheredonce more in the throne room for a council of war.
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181 The Scarecrow Takes Time to Think
"It seems to me," began the Scarecrow, when all were again assembled in thethrone room, "that the girl Jinjur is quite right in claiming to be Queen.And if she is right, then I am wrong, and we have no business to beoccupying her palace."
"But you were the King until she came," said the Woggle-Bug, strutting upand down with his hands in his pockets; "so it appears to me that she is theinterloper instead of you."
"Especially as we have just conquered her and put her to flight," added thePumpkinhead, as he raised his hands to turn his face toward the Scarecrow.
"Have we really conquered her?" asked the Scarecrow, quietly. "Look out ofthe window, and tell me what you see."
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Tip ran to the window and looked out.
"The palace is surrounded by a double row of girl soldiers," he announced.
"I thought so," returned the Scarecrow. "We are as truly their prisoners aswe were before the mice frightened them from the palace."
"My friend is right," said Nick Chopper, who had been polishing his breastwith a bit of chamois-leather. "Jinjur is still the Queen, and we are herprisoners."
"But I hope she cannot get at us," exclaimed the Pumpkinhead, with a shiverof fear. "She threatened to make tarts of me, you know."
"Don't worry," said the Tin Woodman. "It cannot matter greatly. If you stayshut up here you will spoil in time, anyway. A good tart is far moreadmirable than a decayed intellect."
"Very true," agreed the Scarecrow.
"Oh, dear!" moaned Jack; "what an unhappy lot is mine! Why, dear father, didyou not make me out of tin--or even out of straw--so that I would keepindefinitely."
"Shucks!" returned Tip, indignantly. "You ought to be glad that I made youat all." Then he added, reflectively, "everything has to come to an end,some time."
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"But I beg to remind you," broke in the Woggle-Bug, who had a distressedlook in his bulging, round eyes, "that this terrible Queen Jinjur suggestedmaking a goulash of me--Me! the only Highly Magnified and ThoroughlyEducated Woggle-Bug in the wide, wide world!"
"I think it was a brilliant idea," remarked the Scarecrow, approvingly.
"Don't you imagine he would make a better soup?" asked the Tin Woodman,turning toward his friend.
"Well, perhaps," acknowledged the Scarecrow.
The Woggle-Bug groaned.
"I can see, in my mind's eye," said he, mournfully, "the goats eating smallpieces of my dear comrade, the Tin Woodman, while my soup is being cooked ona bonfire built of the Saw-Horse and Jack Pumpkinhead's body, and QueenJinjur watches me boil while she feeds the flames with my friend theScarecrow!"
This morbid picture cast a gloom over the entire party, making them restlessand anxious.
"It can't happen for some time," said the Tin Woodman, trying to speakcheerfully; "for we shall be able to keep Jinjur out of the palace until shemanages to break down the doors."
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"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 timeon Jack Pumpkinhead. Not that I prefer pumpkins for food; but I believe theyare somewhat nutritious, and Jack's head is large and plump."
"How heartless!" exclaimed the Tin Woodman, greatly shocked. "Are wecannibals, let me ask? Or are we faithful friends?"
"I see very clearly that we cannot stay shut up in this palace," said theScarecrow, with decision. "So let us end this mournful talk and try todiscover a means to escape."
At this suggestion they all gathered eagerly around the throne, wherein wasseated the Scarecrow, and as Tip sat down upon a stool there fell from hispocket 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, forit is nearly gone."
"And what is the Powder of Life?" enquired the Scarecrow, as Tip replacedthe box carefully in his pocket.
"It's some magical stuff old Mombi got from a
185crooked sorcerer," explained the boy. "She brought Jack to life with it, andafterward I used it to bring the Saw-Horse to life. I guess it will makeanything live that is sprinkled with it; but there's only about one doseleft."
"Then it is very precious," said the Tin Woodman.
"Indeed it is," agreed the Scarecrow. "It may prove our best means of escapefrom our difficulties. I believe I will think for a few minutes; so I willthank you, friend Tip, to get out your knife and rip this heavy crown frommy forehead."
Tip soon cut the stitches that had fastened the crown to the Scarecrow'shead, and the former monarch of the Emerald City removed it with a sigh ofrelief and hung it on a peg besid
e the throne.
"That is my last memento of royalty" said he; "and I'm glad to get rid ofit. The former King of this City,
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186who was named Pastoria, lost the crown to the Wonderful Wizard, who passedit on to me. Now the girl Jinjur claims it, and I sincerely hope it will notgive her a headache."
"A kindly thought, which I greatly admire," said the Tin Woodman, noddingapprovingly.
"And now I will indulge in a quiet think," continued the Scarecrow, lyingback in the throne.
The others remained as silent and still as possible, so as not to disturbhim; for all had great confidence in the extraordinary brains of theScarecrow.
And, after what seemed a very long time indeed to the anxious watchers, thethinker 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! Ifwe attempt to escape through the doors of the palace we shall surely becaptured. And, as we can't escape through the ground, there is only oneother thing to be done. We must escape through the air!"