CHAPTER 7
The Bumpy Man
The mountain on which they had alighted was not a barren waste, but hadon its sides patches of green grass, some bushes, a few slender trees andhere and there masses of tumbled rocks. The sides of the slope seemedrather steep, but with care one could climb up or down them with ease andsafety. The view from where they now stood showed pleasant valleys andfertile hills lying below the heights. Trot thought she saw some housesof queer shapes scattered about the lower landscape, and there weremoving dots that might be people or animals, yet were too far away forher to see them clearly.
Not far from the place where they stood was the top of the mountain,which seemed to be flat, so the Ork proposed to his companions that hewould fly up and see what was there.
"That's a good idea," said Trot, "'cause it's getting toward evening andwe'll have to find a place to sleep."
The Ork had not been gone more than a few minutes when they saw himappear on the edge of the top which was nearest them.
"Come on up!" he called.
So Trot and Cap'n Bill began to ascend the steep slope and it did nottake them long to reach the place where the Ork awaited them.
Their first view of the mountain-top pleased them very much. It was alevel space of wider extent than they had guessed and upon it grew grassof a brilliant green color. In the very center stood a house built ofstone and very neatly constructed. No one was in sight, but smoke wascoming from the chimney, so with one accord all three began walkingtoward the house.
"I wonder," said Trot, "in what country we are, and if it's very far frommy home in California."
"Can't say as to that, partner," answered Cap'n Bill, "but I'm mightycertain we've come a long way since we struck that whirlpool."
"Yes," she agreed, with a sigh, "it must be miles and miles!"
"Distance means nothing," said the Ork. "I have flown pretty much allover the world, trying to find my home, and it is astonishing how manylittle countries there are, hidden away in the cracks and corners of thisbig globe of Earth. If one travels, he may find some new country at everyturn, and a good many of them have never yet been put upon the maps."
"P'raps this is one of them," suggested Trot.
They reached the house after a brisk walk and Cap'n Bill knocked uponthe door. It was at once opened by a rugged looking man who had "bumpsall over him," as Trot afterward declared. There were bumps on his head,bumps on his body and bumps on his arms and legs and hands. Even hisfingers had bumps on the ends of them. For dress he wore an old gray suitof fantastic design, which fitted him very badly because of the bumps itcovered but could not conceal.
But the Bumpy Man's eyes were kind and twinkling in expression and assoon as he saw his visitors he bowed low and said in a rather bumpy voice:
"Happy day! Come in and shut the door, for it grows cool when the sungoes down. Winter is now upon us."
"Why, it isn't cold a bit, outside," said Trot, "so it can't be winteryet."
"You will change your mind about that in a little while," declared theBumpy Man. "My bumps always tell me the state of the weather, and theyfeel just now as if a snowstorm was coming this way. But make yourselvesat home, strangers. Supper is nearly ready and there is food enough forall."
Inside the house there was but one large room, simply but comfortablyfurnished. It had benches, a table and a fireplace, all made of stone.On the hearth a pot was bubbling and steaming, and Trot thought ithad a rather nice smell. The visitors seated themselves upon thebenches--except the Ork, which squatted by the fireplace--and the BumpyMan began stirring the kettle briskly.
"May I ask what country this is, sir?' inquired Cap'n Bill.
"Goodness me--fruit-cake and apple-sauce!--don't you know where you are?'asked the Bumpy Man, as he stopped stirring and looked at the speaker insurprise.
"No," admitted Cap'n Bill. "We've just arrived."
"Lost your way?" questioned the Bumpy Man.
"Not exactly," said Cap'n Bill. "We didn't have any way to lose."
"Ah!" said the Bumpy Man, nodding his bumpy head. "This," he announced,in a solemn, impressive voice, "is the famous Land of Mo."
"Oh!" exclaimed the sailor and the girl, both in one breath. But, neverhaving heard of the Land of Mo, they were no wiser than before.
"I thought that would startle you," remarked the Bumpy Man, well pleased,as he resumed his stirring. The Ork watched him a while in silence andthen asked:
"Who may _you_ be?"
"Me?" answered the Bumpy Man. "Haven't you heard of me? Gingerbread andlemon-juice! I'm known, far and wide, as the Mountain Ear."
They all received this information in silence at first, for they weretrying to think what he could mean. Finally Trot mustered up courage toask:
"What is a Mountain Ear, please?"
For answer the man turned around and faced them, waving the spoon withwhich he had been stirring the kettle, as he recited the following versesin a singsong tone of voice:
"Here's a mountain, hard of hearing, That's sad-hearted and needs cheering, So my duty is to listen to all sounds that Nature makes, So the hill won't get uneasy-- Get to coughing, or get sneezy-- For this monster bump, when frightened, is quite liable to quakes.
"_You_ can hear a bell that's ringing; _I_ can feel some people's singing; But a mountain isn't sensible of what goes on, and so When I hear a blizzard blowing Or it's raining hard, or snowing, I tell it to the mountain and the mountain seems to know.
"Thus I benefit all people While I'm living on this steeple, For I keep the mountain steady so my neighbors all may thrive. With my list'ning and my shouting I prevent this mount from spouting, And that makes me so important that I'm glad that I'm alive."
When he had finished these lines of verse the Bumpy Man turned again toresume his stirring. The Ork laughed softly and Cap'n Bill whistled tohimself and Trot made up her mind that the Mountain Ear must be a littlecrazy. But the Bumpy Man seemed satisfied that he had explained hisposition fully and presently he placed four stone plates upon the tableand then lifted the kettle from the fire and poured some of its contentson each of the plates. Cap'n Bill and Trot at once approached the table,for they were hungry, but when she examined her plate the little girlexclaimed:
"Why, it's molasses candy!"
"To be sure," returned the Bumpy Man, with a pleasant smile. "Eat itquick, while it's hot, for it cools very quickly this winter weather."
With this he seized a stone spoon and began putting the hot molassescandy into his mouth, while the others watched him in astonishment.
"Doesn't it burn you?" asked the girl.
"No indeed," said he. "Why don't you eat? Aren't you hungry?"
"Yes," she replied, "I am hungry. But we usually eat our candy when it iscold and hard. We always pull molasses candy before we eat it."
"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed the Mountain Ear. "What a funny idea! Where in theworld did you come from?"
"California," she said.
"California! Pooh! there isn't any such place. I've heard of every placein the Land of Mo, but I never before heard of California."
"It isn't in the Land of Mo," she explained.
"Then it isn't worth talking about," declared the Bumpy Man, helpinghimself again from the steaming kettle, for he had been eating all thetime he talked.
"For my part," sighed Cap'n Bill, "I'd like a decent square meal, oncemore, just by way of variety. In the last place there was nothing butfruit to eat, and here it's worse, for there's nothing but candy."
"Molasses candy isn't so bad," said Trot. "Mine's nearly cool enough topull, already. Wait a bit, Cap'n, and you can eat it."
A little later she was able to gather the candy from the stone plate andbegin to work it back and forth with her hands. The Mountain Ear wasgreatly amazed at this and watched her closely. It was really good candyand pulled beautifully, so that Trot was soon ready to cut it into chunksfor ea
ting.
Cap'n Bill condescended to eat one or two pieces and the Ork ate several,but the Bumpy Man refused to try it. Trot finished the plate of candyherself and then asked for a drink of water.
"Water?" said the Mountain Ear wonderingly. "What is that?"
"Something to drink. Don't you have water in Mo?"
"None that ever I heard of," said he. "But I can give you some freshlemonade. I caught it in a 'jar the last time it rained, which was onlyday before yesterday."
"Oh, does it rain lemonade here?" she inquired.
"Always; and it is very refreshing and healthful."
[Illustration ]
With this he brought from a cupboard a stone jar and a dipper, and thegirl found it very nice lemonade, indeed. Cap'n Bill liked it, too; butthe Ork would not touch it.
"If there is no water in this country, I cannot stay here for long," thecreature declared. "Water means life to man and beast and bird."
"There must be water in lemonade," said Trot.
"Yes," answered the Ork, "I suppose so; but there are other things in it,too, and they spoil the good water."
The day's adventures had made our wanderers tired, so the Bumpy Manbrought them some blankets in which they rolled themselves and then laydown before the fire, which their host kept alive with fuel all throughthe night. Trot wakened several times and found the Mountain Ear alwaysalert and listening intently for the slightest sound. But the little girlcould hear no sound at all except the snores of Cap'n Bill.
The Scarecrow of Oz Page 9
