SHAGGY MAN TO THE RESCUE
CHAP. 10
They had not gone very far before Bungle, who had run on ahead, camebounding back to say that the road of yellow bricks was just beforethem. At once they hurried forward to see what this famous road lookedlike.
It was a broad road, but not straight, for it wandered over hill anddale and picked out the easiest places to go. All its length and breadthwas paved with smooth bricks of a bright yellow color, so it was smoothand level except in a few places where the bricks had crumbled or beenremoved, leaving holes that might cause the unwary to stumble.
"I wonder," said Ojo, looking up and down the road, "which way to go."
"Where are you bound for?" asked the Woozy.
"The Emerald City," he replied.
"Then go west," said the Woozy. "I know this road pretty well, for I'vechased many a honey-bee over it."
"Have you ever been to the Emerald City?" asked Scraps.
"No. I am very shy by nature, as you may have noticed, so I haven'tmingled much in society."
"Are you afraid of men?" inquired the Patchwork Girl.
"Me? With my heart-rending growl--my horrible, shudderful growl? Ishould say not. I am not afraid of anything," declared the Woozy.
"I wish I could say the same," sighed Ojo. "I don't think we need beafraid when we get to the Emerald City, for Unc Nunkie has told me thatOzma, our girl Ruler, is very lovely and kind, and tries to helpeveryone who is in trouble. But they say there are many dangers lurkingon the road to the great Fairy City, and so we must be very careful."
"I hope nothing will break me," said the Glass Cat, in a nervous voice."I'm a little brittle, you know, and can't stand many hard knocks."
"If anything should fade the colors of my lovely patches it would breakmy heart," said the Patchwork Girl.
"I'm not sure you have a heart," Ojo reminded her.
"Then it would break my cotton," persisted Scraps. "Do you think theyare all fast colors, Ojo?" she asked anxiously.
"They seem fast enough when you run," he replied; and then, lookingahead of them, he exclaimed: "Oh, what lovely trees!"
They were certainly pretty to look upon and the travelers hurriedforward to observe them more closely.
"Why, they are not trees at all," said Scraps; "they are just monstrousplants."
That is what they really were: masses of great broad leaves which rosefrom the ground far into the air, until they towered twice as high asthe top of the Patchwork Girl's head, who was a little taller than Ojo.The plants formed rows on both sides of the road and from each plantrose a dozen or more of the big broad leaves, which swayed continuallyfrom side to side, although no wind was blowing. But the most curiousthing about the swaying leaves was their color. They seemed to have ageneral groundwork of blue, but here and there other colors glinted attimes through the blue--gorgeous yellows, turning to pink, purple,orange and scarlet, mingled with more sober browns and grays--eachappearing as a blotch or stripe anywhere on a leaf and thendisappearing, to be replaced by some other color of a different shape.
The changeful coloring of the great leaves was very beautiful, but itwas bewildering, as well, and the novelty of the scene drew ourtravelers close to the line of plants, where they stood watching themwith rapt interest.
Suddenly a leaf bent lower than usual and touched the Patchwork Girl.Swiftly it enveloped her in its embrace, covering her completely in itsthick folds, and then it swayed back upon its stem.
"Why, she's gone!" gasped Ojo, in amazement, and listening carefully hethought he could hear the muffled screams of Scraps coming from thecenter of the folded leaf. But, before he could think what he ought todo to save her, another leaf bent down and captured the Glass Cat,rolling around the little creature until she was completely hidden, andthen straightening up again upon its stem.
"Look out," cried the Woozy. "Run! Run fast, or you are lost."
Ojo turned and saw the Woozy running swiftly up the road. But the lastleaf of the row of plants seized the beast even as he ran and instantlyhe disappeared from sight.
The boy had no chance to escape. Half a dozen of the great leaves werebending toward him from different directions and as he stood hesitatingone of them clutched him in its embrace. In a flash he was in the dark.Then he felt himself gently lifted until he was swaying in the air, withthe folds of the leaf hugging him on all sides.
At first he struggled hard to escape, crying out in anger: "Let me go!Let me go!" But neither struggles nor protests had any effect whatever.The leaf held him firmly and he was a prisoner.
Then Ojo quieted himself and tried to think. Despair fell upon him whenhe remembered that all his little party had been captured, even as hewas, and there was none to save them.
"I might have expected it," he sobbed, miserably. "I'm Ojo the Unlucky,and something dreadful was sure to happen to me."
He pushed against the leaf that held him and found it to be soft, butthick and firm. It was like a great bandage all around him and he foundit difficult to move his body or limbs in order to change theirposition.
The minutes passed and became hours. Ojo wondered how long one couldlive in such a condition and if the leaf would gradually sap hisstrength and even his life, in order to feed itself. The little Munchkinboy had never heard of any person dying in the Land of Oz, but he knewone could suffer a great deal of pain. His greatest fear at this timewas that he would always remain imprisoned in the beautiful leaf andnever see the light of day again.
No sound came to him through the leaf; all around was intense silence.Ojo wondered if Scraps had stopped screaming, or if the folds of theleaf prevented his hearing her. By and by he thought he heard a whistle,as of some one whistling a tune. Yes; it really must be some onewhistling, he decided, for he could follow the strains of a prettyMunchkin melody that Unc Nunkie used to sing to him. The sounds were lowand sweet and, although they reached Ojo's ears very faintly, they wereclear and harmonious.
Could the leaf whistle, Ojo wondered? Nearer and nearer came the soundsand then they seemed to be just the other side of the leaf that washugging him.
Suddenly the whole leaf toppled and fell, carrying the boy with it, andwhile he sprawled at full length the folds slowly relaxed and set himfree. He scrambled quickly to his feet and found that a strange man wasstanding before him--a man so curious in appearance that the boy staredwith round eyes.
He was a big man, with shaggy whiskers, shaggy eyebrows, shaggyhair--but kindly blue eyes that were gentle as those of a cow. On hishead was a green velvet hat with a jeweled band, which was all shaggyaround the brim. Rich but shaggy laces were at his throat; a coat withshaggy edges was decorated with diamond buttons; the velvet breeches hadjeweled buckles at the knees and shags all around the bottoms. On hisbreast hung a medallion bearing a picture of Princess Dorothy of Oz, andin his hand, as he stood looking at Ojo, was a sharp knife shaped like adagger.
"Oh!" exclaimed Ojo, greatly astonished at the sight of this stranger;and then he added: "Who has saved me, sir?"
"Can't you see?" replied the other, with a smile; "I'm the Shaggy Man."
"Yes; I can see that," said the boy, nodding. "Was it you who rescued mefrom the leaf?"
"None other, you may be sure. But take care, or I shall have to rescueyou again."
Ojo gave a jump, for he saw several broad leaves leaning toward him; butthe Shaggy Man began to whistle again, and at the sound the leaves allstraightened up on their stems and kept still.
The man now took Ojo's arm and led him up the road, past the last of thegreat plants, and not till he was safely beyond their reach did he ceasehis whistling.
"You see, the music charms 'em," said he. "Singing or whistling--itdoesn't matter which--makes 'em behave, and nothing else will. I alwayswhistle as I go by 'em and so they always let me alone. To-day as I wentby, whistling, I saw a leaf curled and knew there must be somethinginside it. I cut down the leaf with my knife and--out you popped. LuckyI passed by, wasn't it?"
"
You were very kind," said Ojo, "and I thank you. Will you please rescuemy companions, also?"
"What companions?" asked the Shaggy Man.
"The leaves grabbed them all," said the boy. "There's a Patchwork Girland--"
"A what?"
"A girl made of patchwork, you know. She's alive and her name is Scraps.And there's a Glass Cat--"
"Glass?" asked the Shaggy Man.
"All glass."
"And alive?"
"Yes," said Ojo; "she has pink brains. And there's a Woozy--"
"What's a Woozy?" inquired the Shaggy Man.
"Why, I--I--can't describe it," answered the boy, greatly perplexed."But it's a queer animal with three hairs on the tip of its tail thatwon't come out and--"
"What won't come out?" asked the Shaggy Man; "the tail?"
"The hairs won't come out. But you'll see the Woozy, if you'll pleaserescue it, and then you'll know just what it is."
"Of course," said the Shaggy Man, nodding his shaggy head. And then hewalked back among the plants, still whistling, and found the threeleaves which were curled around Ojo's traveling companions. The firstleaf he cut down released Scraps, and on seeing her the Shaggy Man threwback his shaggy head, opened wide his mouth and laughed so shaggily andyet so merrily, that Scraps liked him at once. Then he took off his hatand made her a low bow, saying:
"My dear, you're a wonder. I must introduce you to my friend theScarecrow."
When he cut down the second leaf he rescued the Glass Cat, and Bunglewas so frightened that she scampered away like a streak and soon hadjoined Ojo, when she sat beside him panting and trembling. The lastplant of all the row had captured the Woozy, and a big bunch in thecenter of the curled leaf showed plainly where he was. With his sharpknife the Shaggy Man sliced off the stem of the leaf and as it fell andunfolded out trotted the Woozy and escaped beyond the reach of any moreof the dangerous plants.
The Patchwork Girl of Oz Page 11
