Oz 17: The Cowardly Lion of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson
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jar and spoil the child," she quoted with a dreadful wink that sent Snorer circling into_the air, where he flew uneasily over the heads of_his luckless companions .

" off to_the preserving kettles with_you ! " shrilled the Squawmos, and Notta, in real alarm, made a dash toward the buttons to start the bus, but the Cookywitch brought down a heavy iron spoon, that she carried in one hand, and crushed the entire steering gear . the clown, seeing that escape for_the_time being was impossible, decided to_go back to rule two and gain a little time by politeness .

" imperial and imperious Squawmos," began Notta, speaking somewhat stuffily through_the fish head, " why are_you so determined to preserve us against our wills, and why have_you preserved these others ? "

the Squawmos immediately put down her fork, for she was terribly fond of conversation, and she_could_not very_well converse with_the Preserves, whose language at best was an indistinct jargon .

"Strangers," wheezed the Squawmos, " since I_am to_have the pleasure of putting you up I don't mind explaining my little system . in a jar, barring breaks, you_will last for years, and needing neither food nor drink will_find it quite unnecessary to work . so you_see, we put ourselves up here for_the same reason most housewives preserve their fruit- to_keep from working ."

" put yourselves up to_keep from working," gasped Notta ." but I love my work ! "

" then you_are very different from most people," observed the Squawmos, looking at_the cowardly lion with great interest ." but, never mind, you_will soon be a perfect preserve . and this lion- he_will look perfectly handsome in a jar . let me see, shall I put him up in vinegar or preserve him in spices ? "

the Cookywitch closed her eyes and Notta, winking warningly at_the cowardly lion, who was about to spring on_the imperial monster, cautiously moved his hand toward the only button in_the Flyaboutabus that_the iron spoon had_not smashed- the button that said " up ! " the prime preserve saw him and made indistinct gurgles of protest under his lid, but before he_could warn the Cookywitch or the prime Preserva, Notta had pressed the button, and_the Flyaboutabus, with a jerk that sent hundreds of_the jarmen crashing to_the glass pavement and knocked Squawmos head over heels, rose into_the air .Snorer made aflying leap and caught it on_the wing, so to_speak, and in a flash they were hurtling toward the sky .Notta, jerking off his disguise, frantically felt for all the buttons, but they were hopelessly broken ." this continual flying about makes me light- headed," groaned the lion, hanging on to_the arms of_the seat with both paws .

" where are we going, Notta ? " gasped Bob, edging close to Snorer and peering giddily over the edge of_the bus .

" up as far as it takes us, and then-" Notta shuddered and clung dizzily to_the wheel . and up they_did go, faster and faster, until they lost all track of_time and place and had_not even breath enough to_talk . then, with a terrific crash, the Flyaboutabus ran into a small day star, turned completely over and spilled out the whole company .

there, caught by its feather wheel, it hung on_the point of_the star, while Notta, Bob, nick and_the cowardly lion fell head over heels through_the air . nick caught himself first and, flying after Bob, edged himself around until the little boy was on_his back .Notta and_the cowardly lion were falling together, first one and then the other on top, and nick had to fly rapidly to_keep pace with their falling .

"Oh, my quills and feathers ! " spluttered the faithful bird, " they'll be shattered to bits ! Oh, my tail and top knot ! what shall I_do ? Bob I_can save, but that beautiful clown will_be broken to pieces ! " though falling, as Notta explained afterward, did give one asinking sensation, it_was not nearly so unpleasant as he had expected and, when he looked up and saw Bob safely on Snorer's back, he fell more calmly, trying now_and_then to_do_the side stroke and calling encouragement to_the cowardly lion . earth as it came in view was not very encouraging and Snorer screamed with fright when he_saw the rocky nature of_the country into which his friends were tumbling ." goodbye ! " roared the cowardly lion, looking up mournfully at_the clown, who was at_that minute a little above him ."I'll never forget you, for you_are a brave man in_spite of your disguises ." the clown was too affected by_this speech to answer and, when he glimpsed the jagged rocks below, he decided that soon he_would_be disguised as a pan cake . so he merely waved to_the others and closed his eyes .

like a flash nick darted down and set Bob on a huge boulder . then, with wings spread, he flew up and down, intending, if possible, to break Notta's fall with_his own feathery body . but Notta and_the cowardly lion never did finish their fall- for as_they whizzed past a tall, craggy rock, jutting out from_the side of a mountain, a stone arm reached out and miraculously caught the rope that held them together .

"Scrags and scrivets ! what kind of birds are these ? " cried agrating voice, and down from_the ledge stepped a roughly hewn man of stone .Swinging Notta and_the cowardly lion easily in one hand, he_came crunching toward nick and Bob .

chapter 17 the stone man of Oz

BOB put his arm around Snorer's neck, and nick, clapping his nose on its hook, prepared to fly from_this new danger .Dangling from_his end of_the rope, Notta sighed mournfully to_think he had_not disguised himself, and_the cowardly lion, after one look at_the stone hand that held them, closed his eyes and began to tremble violently . the stone man was about three times the size of an ordinary man and carved out of a huge block of granite . his features, though rough hewn, were_not unpleasant and Notta, after a few false starts, ventured a remark .

" it_was very kind of you to catch us," faltered the clown .

" it wasn't kindness; it_was curiosity," rasped the stone man frankly ."I've been watching you fall for some_time, and I_must say you're the oddest looking creatures I've seen in a stone age .

as he_said this, the stone man placed them on a flat rock that was on a level with_his nose . and as he_could_not sit down, he leaned up against another rock and regarded them inquisitively .

" come on up here," he_called gruffly to Snorer, " and bring that little fellow with_you ." rather reluctantly, nick flew up with Bob, and_the four fallers tried to compose themselves and catch a bit of_the breath they had lost on_the trip down . the stone eyes of_the stone man rested longest on_the cowardly lion ."I like you best," he remarked presently ." you're better made than these others and not so likely to crumble . they look too soft to last long ." he poked his stone finger experimentally into Notta's ribs, and only the clown's disguises saved him from serious injury .

"Don't do_that," growled the cowardly lion sharply .

" what a lovely voice," mused the stone man almost to himself ." tell me, what_are you ? "

"I'm a cowardly lion," roared the big beast huskily, " so don't frighten me, for if_you_do I'll pound you to pebbles ."

"I don't believe he_could do_it," creaked the stone man, turning to Notta ." do_you ? "

" well, he's a terrible fighter," admitted the clown, with areassuring wink at Bob, " but let's not talk of_such disagreeable things . since you were kind enough to catch us perhaps you_will tell us who you_are .

" crunch is my name," answered the stone man, picking up a rock and crumbling it to powder in_his hand .

" i_think we'd better be going," quavered Snorer tremulously ." we're late as_it_is ." nick had no desire to_fall into_the stone man's clutches .

"Don't go," begged crunch ."I haven't talked to anyone since i_was excavated ."

" how long_ago was_that ? " asked Notta, scratching his ear .

"Oh, several ages ago," replied the stone man carelessly ." but I'm much older than that, for i_was hacked out by a primitive Oz man to decorate this cave . but a landslide caved in_the cave and i_was buried for several centuries ."

" who dug you up," roared the cowardly lion, " and how is_it you_are alive ? "

"A wizard named Wam dug me up," explained crunch in_his scratchy voice, " and brought me to life with a shaker of magic powder .I tried to thank him, but he ran away before I_could catch him, so I've stood around ever_since trying to_find out what one does with a life ."

" great Grandfathers ! " choked the clown ." fancy being alive for centuries and not knowing what to_do . why, there_are hundreds of things to interest you, especially in a magic country like Oz .

you_could travel, and help other folks not so strong as yourself . you_could offer your services to_the queen, or even build a city ! "

" could I ? " gasped crunch . he stared off into space as_if he_saw himself doing all these things, and_the idea was almost too amazing to_believe . then, bringing his stone heels together with a click, he announced determinedly, "I'll do_it ! I'll travel, I'll help people, I'll see the queen and build a city ! "

"Hurrah ! " cried Notta ." that's the way to_talk . and since we_are traveling, why_not join us ? " crunch, he decided, might prove useful in a battle .

" can I walk beside him ? " asked the stone man, pointing at_the cowardly lion .

" if_you're steady on_your pins," rumbled the cowardly lion, " and promise not to_fall on me .

" where does the queen of_this country live ? " asked crunch, after he had promised not to_fall on_the cowardly lion .

" in_the emerald city," piped up Bob, who had_been listening to_the stone man's conversation with deep interest .

"Oh, that_must be over there," said crunch, waving toward the east, " for often at night, when I've climbed stone mountain, I've seen bright green lights twinkling in_the darkness ."

" why, of_course_it_is," roared the cowardly lion in great excitement, " though why you_have never gone over to_find out I_cannot imagine ! "

" that's because you were never a stone man," sighed crunch solemnly .

" then we'll soon see Dorothy and_the Scarecrow ! " cried Bob, clapping his hands ." come on, let's go to_the emerald city right away .

nick flew off to_the top of_the mountain to investigate for himself .

" you forget Mustafa's enchantment," sighed Notta, pointing sadly to_the rope that still bound him to_the cowardly lion ."I daresay if_we took a step toward the emerald city, Mustafa would ring us up again ."

" who_is Mustafa and why has he enchanted you ? " demanded crunch, rubbing his stone forehead noisily .Notta explained as_much of_their story as he thought the stone man would understand, and when he had finished crunch gave a little spring that almost knocked them from_the ledge ." why, it_is as clear as cobbles," he roared, bringing down his fist upon a rock and splintering it to fragments ." you_are weaker than I and, as I_have fully determined to help someone, let me help_you . where is_this Mustafa of Mudge ? take me to him and_I_will pound him to powder and disperse him to_the winds ."

before Notta could answer nick came flying back to assure them that he had really seen the emerald city from_the mountain top and_that it lay scarcely a half day's journey away ." then it seems to_me," said Notta, who had_been doing some quick thinking, " that_the time has_come for_us to separate .Bob, nick and_I_will hasten to_this emerald city and appeal to Ozma, Dorothy and_the wizard of Oz . meanwhile the cowardly lion can start toward Mudge and thus Mustafa's ring will not betray us . but before he reaches there we_will_have found a way to help him ."

" and_I_will go with_the cowardly lion," declared crunch promptly, " for i_would rather help him than any_one else ."

"Hurrah ! " cried Bob up, and so it_was all decided . then Notta sat on_the cowardly lion's back and he sprang down from_the ledge . next Snorer flew down with Bob, and_the clown untied the rope that tied him to_the lion . immediately he and Bob turned blue, but when_the cowardly lion took a few steps south, the blue quickly faded out .Notta was so relieved to_be free that he turned six somersaults, stood on_his head, and ran several paces on_his hands, while Bob and nick shouted with glee .

" crush and crumble me ! " rasped the stone man, eyeing the clown in alarm, " is that_the way men get about nowdays ? the men I watched in_the stone age never did that and I simply could_not manage it, you_know ."

"Don't try," begged Notta, and nick hastened to assure him that most men walked in_the usual fashion one foot before_the other .

"Mudge should_be exactly southwest from here, so come on, old cave man, let's be moving . together we'll conquer the whole tribe of Mudgers," said the lion .

" you won't have to," cried Notta, giving the cowardly lion an affectionate hug, " if_this wizard of Oz is as clever as he's said to_be ."

crunch waited impatiently while nick and Bob bade the cowardly lion goodbye .Having stood around for seven centuries, he_could_not bear to waste another second, and when_the cowardly lion at last declared himself ready to_go he tramped off joyfully, each step shaking the ground like a small earthquake and enveloping the poor lion in a cloud of dust .

" goodbye ! " called Bob up shrilly, as_they turned into a narrow rocky path and disappeared behind a small mountain .

" goodbye ! " roared the cowardly lion, bravely waving his tail in farewell . so_much had happened since their flight from Un that Notta had forgotten all about_the_time of day, but when he started up the mountain, he grew so faint, he had to sit down on a rock .Bob, too, looked pale and weary, and every few hops nick would close his eyes and indulge in a tremulous snore .

" great Elephants ! " puffed Notta

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