The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag
CHAPTER 16
When the six monkeys were transformed by Kiki Aru into six giantsoldiers fifty feet tall, their heads came above the top of the trees,which in this part of the forest were not so high as in some otherparts; and, although the trees were somewhat scattered, the bodies ofthe giant soldiers were so big that they quite filled the spaces inwhich they stood and the branches pressed them on every side.
Of course, Kiki was foolish to have made his soldiers so big, for nowthey could not get out of the forest. Indeed, they could not stir astep, but were imprisoned by the trees. Even had they been in the littleclearing they could not have made their way out of it, but they were alittle beyond the clearing. At first, the other monkeys who had not beenenchanted were afraid of the soldiers, and hastily quitted the place;but soon finding that the great men stood stock still, although gruntingindignantly at their transformation, the band of monkeys returned to thespot and looked at them curiously, not guessing that they were reallymonkeys and their own friends.
The soldiers couldn't see them, their heads being above the trees; theycould not even raise their arms or draw their sharp swords, so closelywere they held by the leafy branches. So the monkeys, finding the giantshelpless, began climbing up their bodies, and presently all the bandwere perched on the shoulders of the giants and peering into theirfaces.
"I'm Ebu, your father," cried one soldier to a monkey who had perchedupon his left ear, "but some cruel person has enchanted me."
"I'm your Uncle Peeker," said another soldier to another monkey.
So, very soon all the monkeys knew the truth and were sorry for theirfriends and relations and angry at the person--whoever it was--who hadtransformed them. There was a great chattering among the tree-tops, andthe noise attracted other monkeys, so that the clearing and all thetrees around were full of them.
Rango the Gray Ape, who was the Chief of all the monkey tribes of theforest, heard the uproar and came to see what was wrong with his people.And Rango, being wiser and more experienced, at once knew that thestrange magician who looked like a mixed-up beast was responsible forthe transformations. He realized that the six giant soldiers werehelpless prisoners, because of their size, and knew he was powerless torelease them. So, although he feared to meet the terrible magician, hehurried away to the great clearing to tell Gugu the King what hadhappened and to try to find the Wizard of Oz and get him to save his sixenchanted subjects.
Rango darted into the Great Clearing just as the Wizard had restored allthe enchanted ones around him to their proper shapes, and the Gray Apewas glad to hear that the wicked magician-beast had been conquered.
"But now, O mighty Wizard, you must come with me to where six of mypeople are transformed into six great giant men," he said, "for if theyare allowed to remain there, their happiness and their future lives willbe ruined."
The Wizard did not reply at once, for he was thinking this a goodopportunity to win Rango's consent to his taking some monkeys to theEmerald City for Ozma's birthday cake.
"It is a great thing you ask of me, O Rango the Gray Ape," said he, "forthe bigger the giants are the more powerful their enchantment, and themore difficult it will be to restore them to their natural forms.However, I will think it over."
Then the Wizard went to another part of the clearing and sat on a logand appeared to be in deep thought.
The Glass Cat had been greatly interested in the Gray Ape's story andwas curious to see what the giant soldiers looked like. Hearing thattheir heads extended above the tree-tops, the Glass Cat decided that ifit climbed the tall avocado tree that stood at the side of the clearing,it might be able to see the giants' heads. So, without mentioning hererrand, the crystal creature went to the tree and, by sticking her sharpglass claws in the bark, easily climbed the tree to its very top and,looking over the forest, saw the six giant heads, although they were nowa long way off. It was, indeed, a remarkable sight, for the huge headshad immense soldier caps on them, with red and yellow plumes and lookedvery fierce and terrible, although the monkey hearts of the giants wereat that moment filled with fear.
Having satisfied her curiosity, the Glass Cat began to climb down fromthe tree more slowly. Suddenly she discerned the Wizard's black baghanging to a limb of the tree. She grasped the black bag in her glassteeth, and although it was rather heavy for so small an animal, managedto get it free and to carry it safely down to the ground. Then shelooked around for the Wizard and seeing him seated upon the stump shehid the black bag among some leaves and then went over to where theWizard sat.
"I forgot to tell you," said the Glass Cat, "that Trot and Cap'n Billare in trouble, and I came here to hunt you up and get you to go andrescue them."
"Good gracious, Cat! Why didn't you tell me before?" exclaimed theWizard.
"For the reason that I found so much excitement here that I forgot Trotand Cap'n Bill."
"What's wrong with them?" asked the Wizard.
Then the Glass Cat explained how they had gone to get the Magic Flowerfor Ozma's birthday gift and had been trapped by the magic of the queerisland. The Wizard was really alarmed, but he shook his head and saidsadly:
"I'm afraid I can't help my dear friends, because I've lost my blackbag."
"If I find it, will you go to them?" asked the creature.
"Of course," replied the Wizard. "But I do not think that a Glass Catwith nothing but pink brains can succeed when all the rest of us havefailed."
"Don't you admire my pink brains?" demanded the Cat.
"They're pretty," admitted the Wizard, "but they're not regular brains,you know, and so we don't expect them to amount to much."
"But if I find your black bag--and find it inside of five minutes--willyou admit my pink brains are better than your common human brains?"
"Well, I'll admit they're better _hunters_," said the Wizard,reluctantly, "but you can't do it. We've searched everywhere, and theblack bag isn't to be found."
"That shows how much you know!" retorted the Glass Cat, scornfully."Watch my brains a minute, and see them whirl around."
The Wizard watched, for he was anxious to regain his black bag, and thepink brains really did whirl around in a remarkable manner.
"Now, come with me," commanded the Glass Cat, and led the Wizardstraight to the spot where it had covered the bag with leaves."According to my brains," said the creature, "your black bag ought to behere."
Then it scratched at the leaves and uncovered the bag, which the Wizardpromptly seized with a cry of delight. Now that he had regained hisMagic Tools, he felt confident he could rescue Trot and Cap'n Bill.
Rango the Gray Ape was getting impatient. He now approached the Wizardand said:
"Well, what do you intend to do about those poor enchanted monkeys?"
"I'll make a bargain with you, Rango," replied the little man. "If youwill let me take a dozen of your monkeys to the Emerald City, and keepthem until after Ozma's birthday, I'll break the enchantment of the sixGiant Soldiers and return them to their natural forms."
But the Gray Ape shook his head.
"I can't do it," he declared. "The monkeys would be very lonesome andunhappy in the Emerald City and your people would tease them and throwstones at them, which would cause them to fight and bite."
"The people won't see them till Ozma's birthday dinner," promised theWizard. "I'll make them very small--about four inches high, and I'llkeep them in a pretty cage in my own room, where they will be safe fromharm. I'll feed them the nicest kind of food, train them to do someclever tricks, and on Ozma's birthday I'll hide the twelve littlemonkeys inside a cake. When Ozma cuts the cake the monkeys will jump outon to the table and do their tricks. The next day I will bring them backto the forest and make them big as ever, and they'll have some excitingstories to tell their friends. W
hat do you say, Rango?"
"I say no!" answered the Gray Ape. "I won't have my monkeys enchantedand made to do tricks for the Oz people."
"Very well," said the Wizard calmly; "then I'll go. Come, Dorothy," hecalled to the little girl, "let's start on our journey."
"Aren't you going to save those six monkeys who are giant soldiers?"asked Rango, anxiously.
"Why should I?" returned the Wizard. "If you will not do me the favor Iask, you cannot expect me to favor you."
"Wait a minute," said the Gray Ape. "I've changed my mind. If you willtreat the twelve monkeys nicely and bring them safely back to theforest. I'll let you take them."
"Thank you," replied the Wizard, cheerfully. "We'll go at once and savethose giant soldiers."
So all the party left the clearing and proceeded to the place where thegiants still stood among the trees. Hundreds of monkeys, apes, baboonsand orang-outangs had gathered round, and their wild chatter could beheard a mile away. But the Gray Ape soon hushed the babel of sounds, andthe Wizard lost no time in breaking the enchantments. First one and thenanother giant soldier disappeared and became an ordinary monkey again,and the six were shortly returned to their friends in their properforms.
This action made the Wizard very popular with the great army of monkeys,and when the Gray Ape announced that the Wizard wanted to borrow twelvemonkeys to take to the Emerald City for a couple of weeks, and asked forvolunteers, nearly a hundred offered to go, so great was theirconfidence in the little man who had saved their comrades.
The Wizard selected a dozen that seemed intelligent and good-tempered,and then he opened his black bag and took out a queerly shaped dish thatwas silver on the outside and gold on the inside. Into this dish hepoured a powder and set fire to it. It made a thick smoke that quiteenveloped the twelve monkeys, as well as the form of the Wizard, butwhen the smoke cleared away the dish had been changed to a golden cagewith silver bars, and the twelve monkeys had become about three incheshigh and were all seated comfortably inside the cage.
The thousands of hairy animals who had witnessed this act of magic weremuch astonished and applauded the Wizard by barking aloud and shakingthe limbs of the trees in which they sat. Dorothy said: "That was a finetrick, Wizard!" and the Gray Ape remarked: "You are certainly the mostwonderful magician in all the Land of Oz!"
"Oh, no," modestly replied the little man. "Glinda's magic is betterthan mine, but mine seems good enough to use on ordinary occasions. Andnow, Rango, we will say good-bye, and I promise to return your monkeysas happy and safe as they are now."
The Wizard rode on the back of the Hungry Tiger and carried the cage ofmonkeys very carefully, so as not to joggle them. Dorothy rode on theback of the Cowardly Lion, and the Glass Cat trotted, as before, to showthem the way.
Gugu the King crouched upon a log and watched them go, but as he badethem farewell, the enormous leopard said:
"I know now that you are the friends of beasts and that the forestpeople may trust you. Whenever the Wizard of Oz and Princess Dorothyenter the Forest of Gugu hereafter, they will be as welcome and as safewith us as ever they are in the Emerald City."
The Magic of Oz Page 18
