The Hidden Valley of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

  "But let us go to the house," said the farmer. "My wife will be most happy to meet all of you, and Pinny and Gig will be happy, too," he added.

  "How are they doin'?" Inquired Percy.

  "Fine, fine," the farmer answered. "They play all day long with my children and seem to like living with us."

  The farmer's wife was indeed glad to welcome Jam and his friends to her humble abode, and she immediately began fixing a good meal for the weary travelers and insisted that they must spend the night at the farmhouse. She was greatly impressed by the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow, for their fame had traveled the length and breadth of the whole Land of Oz.

  Princess Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, and the Hungry Tiger were also famous figures, so she felt highly honored to invite them to the feast that she prepared.

  Since there were so many of them, the farmer set up tables out under the purple plum trees in the yard and everybody gathered around on benches and chairs. Although the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman never ate, they sat at the table and entertained the group with stories and songs throughout the meal.

  "You certainly have picked up strange companions, "commented Pinny and Gig when they saw the assemblage. They were interested in the story of Jam's and Percy's adventures but they had no desire to leave their comfortable home to accompany them on their mission to the castle of Terp, the Terrible.

  "We like it here," was their only comment, and obviously they meant it. The farmer's little children were very kind to them and gave them a good home.

  When darkness fell, the farmer and his wife conducted Dorothy and Jam to pleasant bedrooms, while the Cowardly Lion, the Hungry Tiger, and Percy found soft beds in the hay in the barn that stood behind the house. The Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow sat outside under the stars, for they said they liked the night air, and could talk there without disturbing any of the rest.

  Soon after sunup the next day, the travelers started again on their journey, for they wished to reach the Hidden Valley before nightfall. Jam was a little worried about the reception they might receive from the Equinots, but the Tin Woodman assured him that the queer horse-men would probably be terrified of the Hungry Tiger and the Cowardly Lion, since they had fled from Percy when he had grown large.

  Percy was particularly interested in reaching the courtyard of Terp, the Terrible, for the piece of muffin that he had eaten for breakfast had been the last bit of the magic bread that he possessed, and he knew that in a day or two he would begin to shrink as he had done once before, and he would no longer be the novel creature that he was when he was ten times the size of an ordinary rat. So he frisked along in front of the rest of the party, watching the path with his bright, red eyes and waving his long white whiskers in the breeze.

  Before too long a time had passed, the trees became farther and farther apart, and presently the travelers saw that they were approaching the high plain that separated the Hidden Valley from the rest of the country.

  "There are the mountains surrounding Hidden Valley," said Jam, pointing to some hills across the plain.

  "With no further mishaps, we should be there in a few hours," said the Tin Woodman as he gazed across the purple sage to the mountains in the distance.

  "The Equinots may give us some trouble, kiddos,"

  said Percy.

  "We're ready for them," growled the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger. Dorothy had been riding on the lion's back. At these words she jumped to the ground, so the huge beast would be unencumbered if he found it necessary to fight for the safety of the party. Each one of them kept a sharp lookout for any danger. And thus prepared, they set out across the level ground that marked the last lap of their journey.

  The journey across the first half of the plain was uneventful. Before long, however, a faint cloud of dust was seen in the south. Percy and Jam had been watching the south rather carefully, for they remembered that the Equinots had come from that direction when they had encountered them the first time so they shouted a warning at the first sign of motion on the plain.

  "I think the Equinots are coming," cried Jam, and Percy affirmed the suspicion.

  "Let us stop and be prepared for them," suggested the Tin Woodman.

  "I'll stand out in front, kiddos," said Percy, "I scared the wits out of them the other time. They'll probably run like scared rabbits if they see me again."

  "An excellent suggestion," the Scarecrow said.

  "The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger should stand on either side of us to protect Jam and Dorothy."

  "And I'll get behind you with my trusty axe, "said Nick Chopper." That should frighten even the stoutest heart."

  All this time the cloud of dust was getting larger and soon they could hear the pounding of hoofs. In a short time the first of the riders could be seen.

  With loud yells the Equinots swept up to the party.

  At a signal from the Tin Woodman the Cowardly Lion lowered his shaggy head and let out an earsplitting roar that was echoed by a roar from his companion, the Hungry Tiger. The band of horsemen stopped short, and after one terrified look at the fierce group, headed by Percy, they wheeled and galloped off at top speed toward their homes. That was the last our friends ever saw of the Equinots who were so scared by the animals they supposed had come to roam their plains, that they never again ventured far away from their stables to molest travelers who went there.

  "They aren't so fierce," laughed the Hungry Tiger.

  "I should say not," said the Cowardly Lion. "Look at them run."

  By this time the Equinots were so far away that only a faint cloud of dust that hung over the purple sage showed that they had been there at all.

  "Now, on to Terp, the Terrible!" Said Dorothy. "I hope he is as easy to conquer as were the Equinots."

  "I'm afraid it won't be so easy," sighed Jam.

  "He's awfully big, and quite bad."

  "I was sharp enough to outwit the two-headed monster before; but I don't know that I could do it again, kiddos," Percy added. "I was just lucky that time. If that owl head had seen me a second sooner I'd have been a goner."

  "I think we'll find some way to overcome them,"

  the Tin Woodman asserted. "There are more of us this time, and we can probably enlist the aid of the Gillikens who are Terp's slaves. When they realize that we have come to deliver them, they will take heart and rebel against their oppressor."

  "It would be nice to have the Wizard with us though," said Dorothy. "He might be able to use his magic against Terp and conquer him more easily than we could."

  "We'll manage, my dear," said the Scarecrow.

  "We always have, you know."

  "That's true," Dorothy agreed, taking heart, for she knew that the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow were very valuable allies against any foe.

  "What plan shall we use against the giant?" Inquired Jam.

  "I think it is wiser to wait until we get there before we make too many plans," Nick Chopper answered. "When I see for myself how the land lies, I may have better ideas than I would have right now."

  "The Tin Woodman is right," agreed the Scarecrow. "When we get there will be time enough for making plans."

  Chapter 19

  The Scarecrow's Brilliant Idea

  THE remainder of their hike across the open plain was uneventful. They chatted merrily as they walked, recalling adventures they had had on other trips. After several hours of walking, they came to the foothills that marked the boundaries of Terp's domain, and here they paused for a council of war.

  "It is too risky to attempt anything until nightfall, I believe," said the Tin Woodman, who was their acknowledged leader in this adventure.

  "If we could scout out the place before it is dark,"

  the Scarecrow said, "it would be advantageous."

  "True," agreed his tin friend, "but we might be discovered, and then all would be lost."

  "Why don't we try to find some of the Gilliken slaves and see if they have any ideas?" Jam suggested, knowing that the lit
tle men would do anything to escape the tyranny of Terp.

  "That sounds like a good idea to me," Dorothy commented. "They might be able to hide us until evening. If we stay out in the open, Terp, the Terrible, might see us."

  "We could head for the valley where the jam factory is," Percy suggested, "avoiding the main stem.

  Then we might be able to talk to some of the slaves."

  "That is probably our best plan of action," the Tin Woodman agreed. "You and Jam must lead the way because we have never been here before, while the place is familiar to you."

  Percy agreed to act as guide and led them in a wide semicircle, off the path into the woods that covered the hills surrounding Hidden Valley. They all slipped stealthily along after the white rat, for they did not want to be seen by the giant. Soon they had topped the ridge that hid the valley from the rest of the world, and Jam's friends saw, for the first time the beautiful vineyards on the slopes of the hills and the factory down in the valley. Off to one side they could see Terp's castle, standing gloomy and aloof from the rest of the valley, with its purple walls throwing shadows around it even in the bright sunlight.

  "There's the castle, kiddos," pointed Percy, "and the magic muffin tree grows in the courtyard. If we can give Terp the slip, we'll still have to take care of the two-headed monster that's chained to the tree and guards it from trespassers."

  "If only we could lure Terp from the castle tonight, we might be able to overcome the owland wolf-headed monster and cut down the tree while he is gone, mused the Scarecrow." My brains are working hard on an idea. Let me go off to myself for a few minutes of uninterrupted thought, and I may be able to think of a solution to our problem."

  The Scarecrow walked away a few steps and sat down on the stump of a tree, rubbing his forehead with his fingers and concentrating hard on the problem. His friends kept very quiet, for they did not wish to disturb him while he was in such deep thought. He concentrated so hard that the pins and needles that were mixed in with his brains stuck out all over his head and made it look like a huge pincushion. After several minutes, he sprang to his feet with a big smile on his painted face and said "I think I have the answer. But we will have to enlist the aid of the Gilliken farmers in order to execute my plan."

  "What do you propose to do?" Begged Dorothy eagerly, for she knew that most of the Scarecrow's plans were good ones, carefully thought out by the brains given to him by the Wizard of Oz.

  The group crowded close around their padded companion in order to hear the scheme he had evolved for defeating the giant and his monster who guarded the magic muffin tree.

  "Terp, the Terrible, had planned to eat Jam for breakfast, hadn't he?"

  "Yes," said Jam shuddering as he recalled how close a shave that had been. "I couldn't convince him that I wasn't the kind of jam that you eat on bread."

  "And he was probably quite angry when he discovered that you had escaped from the room in the castle tower."

  "I'm sure he was," Jam said. "I think he is used to having his own way about everything around here, so I know he was furious when he found that his breakfast was gone."

  "Good," said the Scarecrow. "Then, if you had eluded him once, he probably would want to recapture you if he could and have you for breakfast tomorrow morning."

  "That he would, kiddo," Percy agreed.

  "But I don't want him to recapture me," protested Jam. "Escaping from him might not be so easy this time."

  "No, he'd be very careful of you if he laid hands on you again," Dorothy agreed.

  "I don't intend to let Terp get you in his clutches again," the Scarecrow hastened to reassure the lad "But if he thought that he knew where you were don't you think he would go there to try to catch you?"

  "Well, I suppose he would," Jam said.

  "Certainly," spoke up the Tin Woodman.

  "Then all we have to do is to make him think that you are some place in this vicinity, but at some distance from the castle," said the Scarecrow. "When he goes to look for you, we will have a chance to dispose of the two-headed monster that guards the magic muffin tree; and with the monster out of the way, cutting down the tree will be an easy task for our friend, Nick Chopper.

  "Oh, yes," exclaimed Dorothy, clapping her hands in delight. "Scarecrow, that is a perfectly wonderful idea."

  "You can really thank the Wizard," he replied modestly," for he is the one who made my brains and they are so good that I can't help thinking up such clever schemes."

  "But how do we get Terp to go looking for Jam?"

  Asked the Cowardly Lion, a puzzled look on his big face. "None of us dares go to his castle."

  "That's where we must have the aid of some of the people here," answered the Scarecrow. "One of them must go to Terp and tell him that Jam has been seen in the hills on the far side of the valley.

  It will take the giant some time to reach there, and when he gets there he will waste more time looking for Jam."

  "I think dusk would be the ideal time for him to get the message," decided the Tin Woodman, "for darkness will slow down the search, and we will have more time to do our job here."

  "But what will happen when Terp returns and finds that the tree has been destroyed?" Asked the Hungry Tiger. "He will be exceedingly angry and may do harm to us before he grows smaller."

  "That is a grave problem that we have not considered," agreed the Tin Woodman. "It takes Percy several days to lose the effect of the magic muffins and it may take the giant as long."

  "Terp will be in a rage when he discovers that the source of his power is gone," Dorothy declared "He may do something dreadful before he ceases to be a giant."

  "If there were just some way we could trap him and keep him a prisoner until he is our own size, we would have no trouble with him."

  "Maybe some of the Gillikens would have an idea that would help us', 'Jam suggested." They know this territory so much better than we do."

  With this decision, the group moved on carefully keeping under cover as much as was possible. They decided that if they could get near some of the vineyards, they would be able to get the attention of some of the workers and have a council with them.

  "Some of the men know me," said Jam, "for they came to meet me when I first landed in Oz. Perhaps it would be better if I called to them, so they won't be frightened."

  "If they see us first, they may all run away," said the Cowardly Lion, who knew that until people got acquainted with him they usually were afraid, for seldom does anyone see a tame lion wandering about the countryside.

  "And they've never seen me this size, so I'd give them quite a jolt, too," added Percy.

  "They have heard rumors of the Tin Woodman,"

  continued Jam, "but since they have never seen him and do not know that he is a man made of tin, the sight of him might frighten them, too."

  So Jam was elected as the member of the party to talk to the Gillikens. Dorothy offered to go with him, for she knew that no one would be afraid of a little boy and a little girl. It took the group some time to circle the ridge and reach the vineyards where the grapes for the jam were grown, for Hidden Valley was quite large. Dorothy thought it was a lovely spot, and she knew that if the giant were destroyed, the people who lived there would be happy and contented. Finally they arrived at the first of the grape-laden slopes, and they looked cautiously through the trees at the edge of the wood to see if they could safely call some of the workers to them without endangering their position. After several minutes of careful scrutiny the Tin Woodman said that he thought it would be safe for Dorothy and Jam to make themselves known to the workers, for there was no sign of Terp, the Terrible, in that part of the valley.

  Slowly and quietly Jam and Dorothy stole out of the forest and advanced to the place where the Gillikens were busily gathering the fragrant, purple grapes and putting them into large baskets which in turn were loaded into little carts and taken to the jam factory in the valley.

  "Pssst!" Hissed Jam.

  "Hello!" Called
Dorothy softly.

  At this sound, the grape-gatherer nearest them turned to see who had called. When he saw the boy and girl standing there, he looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching him and hurried over to them. Jam recognized him as one of the group of Gillikens who had come to meet him upon his arrival and this pleased him greatly, for at least the man would know who he was.

  "Oh, noble sir," he said, bowing to Jam, "have you returned to save us?"

  "Yes," said Jam, "I have brought with me the famous Tin Woodman, who is Emperor of the Winkies.

  And this is Dorothy, who is a Princess of Oz."

  The little man bowed low before Dorothy, sweeping off his hat with such a courtly gesture that the little bells around the brim tinkled merrily.

  "We have a plan for defeating Terp, the Terrible,"

  Jam hastened to say, "but we need the aid of some of you Gillikens. Can you come with us?"

  "Terp does not inspect this part of the vineyard for some time yet," the farmer stated, "so it will be safe for me to leave for a little while. Where is the famous woodman?"

  "He is hiding back here in the woods," Dorothy told the little man," so if you'll kindly come with us we will take you to our companions.

  The man gladly followed the boy and girl to the place where the rest of the party was hiding, while Jam explained to him that the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger were friendly and that Percy was only the little white rat he had seen before. Then the farmer was presented to the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, the Hungry Tiger and Percy. The man thought he had never before seen such curious beings as those in the queerly assorted little band.

  Without further delay the Tin Woodman explained the plan that they had decided upon and asked the Gilliken if he thought it would work.

  "Oh, yes, most noble Emperor," he said in a voice filled with respect. "When Terp, the Terrible, discovered that this little lad had escaped, he was in a towering rage and ordered all of us to search all of Hidden Valley for some trace of him. We did not run the jam factory that day, for he wanted every available person to look for his escaped prisoner.