Oz 19: The Lost King of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson
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of_the Gillikens .Pansies and tall purple flags grew around the bases of_the giant trees and here and there clusters of violets nodded their pretty little heads in_the breeze . purple birds darted through_the leaves overhead and_the air was sweet from hidden beds of lavendar, so_that nothing could_have_been pleasanter than_the first part of_the day's journey . but toward noon they reached a portion of_the forest so dark and impenetrable that_they had to_go single file, and even then had great difficulty in forcing their way through_the trees and dense underbrush .

Growls and roars added still further to_their discomforts, until snip, feeling in_his pocket for_his trusty pen knife, began to wish himself safely back in_the button wood .Pajuka half ran and waddled after him, giving every now_and_then a great flop of terror as a particularly fierce roar came echoing through_the forest .Mombi, alone, seemed perfectly unconcerned and hobbled ahead whacking branches and bushes out_of_the way with her crooked stick .

" must_be lunch time," she called back hoarsely over her shoulder .

"Howja guess ? " panted Pajuka, keeping as close to snip as he_could, for he_was terribly frightened .

"Don't you hear the lions ? " asked the old witch maliciously .

" merciful feathers ! " gasped the goose ." have I come all this_way to_be a lion's lunch ? "

" here comes one now," shuddered snip, flattening himself against a tree . but it_was not a lion that came hurtling out_of_the brush . it_was aweenix, a wild, bear- like beast with a walrus head . one look at its tusks set snip's heart beating like a drum .Pajuka flung into_the air, flapping his wings and hissing furiously, but the weenix came straight on and snip, though determined to die with_his pen knife in hand, trembled so violently he_could scarcely stand up . even Mombi looked frightend .Grabbing the basket from snip, she fumbled among its packages and pans and just as_the weenix, with outspread paws, leaped upon her, the old witch snatched out the pepper box and shook the entire contents upon its nose . it_was purple pepper, fortunately, which_is even stronger than red .

"Kawoosh ! " spluttered the weenix falling backwards ."Kawoosh-Kawush ! Kawoo ! " with tears streaming down its tusks and trembling whiskers, it dashed into_the shadows, where it could still be heard sneezing broken heartedly . it evidently told its family and friends all about_the dangerous travellers, for not another weenix so_much as showed a whisker after_that .

"Humph ! " snorted Mombi, settling her hat, which had gone terribly askew ." I_may_have forgotten my magic, but I still know a few tricks, eh Pajuka ? "

"Oh, my feathers," panted the goose, leaning up against a tree, " that was worse than roasting ."

" how did you ever think of pepper ? " asked snip, who_could_not help admiring Mombi's quickness . but Mombi merely gave a grunt, thrust the basket back into his hands and began limping along faster than ever . snip was tired and hungry, but the thought of being left alone in_the forest was so_much worse than being in_the company of a witch that he stumbled and ran after her, comforting himself with_the thought of_the fine sights he should_see in_the emerald city .

Pajuka was tired too, but he hopped and flopped after skip and another hour brought them to_the edge of_the forest . the countryside, stretching pleasantly ahead, was shaded with purple, so they knew they were still in_the land of_the Gillikens . the old witch ordered a halt, while she considered the road .

Mombi pegged her map down on_the grass and began studying it carefully . snip sat down under a tree and began fanning himself with_his hat, while Pajuka flew off to_find a stream, for_the poor goose was parched by his flight through_the forest and never felt quite happy out of water .

" how far is_the emerald city ? " asked snip, after watching Mombi for a time in silence .

" ought_to_be there by night time," muttered the witch, forgetting for once to scowl ." all we_have to_do is to_keep going southwest ." Rolling up the map, Mombi took the rest of_the bread and cheese from_the basket .Seeing she meant to_give him none, snip went off in search of a bite for himself . in Oz this_is_not difficult, for_the most marvelous plants and trees grow in all of_its kingdoms . scarcely a stone's throw away snip found a huckleberry- pie plant . he ate several of_the small tarts, and then picked a pocket full of plums from a pretty little plum tree that grew by_the roadside . the purple Gilliken country is as famous for its plums as_the yellow Winkie land is for its peaches and pears .

Feeling quite refreshed, snip went to search for Pajuka . just beyond a thin fringe of trees ran a shallow stream, and Pajuka, in_the strange manner of geese, was standing on_his head, eating his- lunch off the bottom . he looked so comical that snip nearly burst out laughing, but remembering just in_time that Pajuka was_the king's prime minister he cleared his throat instead . with a great bounce, Pajuka came right side tip and after a few dives and splashes waded ashore .

" what did you find to eat ? " asked snip curiously .

"Oh some water roots and er other things," answered Pajuka .Seeing he_was embarrassed snip politely changed the subject .

" tell me about_the king," said the little button boy, " and about Oz before Ozma was queen ."

" well, there_was never akindlier king anywhere," began Pajuka, shaking the water from_his feathers .

" what kind ? " asked snip, biting into a plum ." how did he look ? "

" pleasant," explained Pajuka, putting one foot before_the other and waddling from side to side in_his queer goosey fashion ." he_was tall and gentle and very absent- minded, and so kind that he never punished anyone at all ."

" then that's why there were so_many witches," cried snip triumphantly .

" yes, and_that's why it_was so easy for Mombi to_get him into her power," sighed Pajuka mournfully ." he_would believe evil of no one- not even of a witch ."

"Seems to_me Ozma makes a better ruler," observed snip, throwing his plum over a tree and standing on_his tip toes to_see how far it had gone ." she doesn't allow anyone to pratice magic, excepting herself, Glinda and_the Wiz ard ." this_is perfectly true and Oz has enjoyed under the littlest princess in history an era of great peace and prosperity .

"Ozma is a pretender," insisted Pajuka stiffly ." but she doesn't even know her father's alive," protested snip . though he had never seen Ozma, he had a great affection for_the little queen ." what_will become of Ozma when we_find the king ? " he asked doubtfully .

"Oh, she_can go back and play with her dolls . she's only a little girl anyway," answered the goose carelessly . snip did_not quite approve of_this either, so he changed the subject again .

" there wasn't any emerald city then, was there Pajuka ? "

" no, but we had a splendid castle where the emerald city now stands and hunting parks in every country of Oz .Ah, those were the good old days," sighed Pajuka sorrowfully ." if I_could but see my dear master again I'd be content to remain a goose for_the rest of_my life ."

"I s' pose you_do miss him," said snip sympathetically .

" miss him ! " Pajuka gave a great gulp and turned his head to wipe his tears on_his feathers ." why, I miss him even more than my pockets," groaned the poor goose in a smothered voice .

snip would_have liked to hear more about_the king, but a loud screech from Mombi interrupted the story ." where've you been ? " croaked the witch, emerging from a little patch of trees and blinking at them crossly ."I've been ready for hours .C'mon ! do_you_think this_is a picnic ? "

"Don't sass me woman," wheezed Pajuka with great dignity, " or I'll not help_you a mite . who got us into_this ridiculous mess, may I ask ? "

Mombi paid no attention to Pajuka's remarks, but began hobbling down the road and snip, who_could hardly wait to reach the emerald city, hurried after her, still mumbling crossly to herself . the goose sulkily brought up the rear . the road was fairly good, and zigzagged pleasantly enough through meadows and fields .

" but aren't there any houses ? " asked snip, as_they passed through a deserted stretch of woodland ."Aren't there any people or villages or towns ? "

" there ought_to_be," honked Pajuka, who was resting his feet in_the air .( that's one advantage of having wings, when your feet are tired you_can fly .)

" there_are ! " snapped Mombi gruffly, and Mombi was right, for just then the wood came to an end and_they found themselves facing a large, pleasant park, with dazzling white paths running in every direction . snip was looking around with deep interest, when six of_the strangest beings he had ever seen rose up from a bench a little distance off and stood examining them critically . they were certainly ten feet high and so thin and flat that snip could scarcely believe they were people at all . but as_they had heads, arms, legs and_the usual number of eyes, ears and noses, he concluded they_must_be people . as_the little button boy stared at them, the first of_the creatures leaned down, caught hold of_its toes and came hurtling at_the travelers like a hurricane .

" whoop ! " shrieked the second one, bending over as_the first had done and turning itself into a sure enough hoop ." whoop, whoop ! "

" honk ! " screamed Pajuka defiantly, but before snip and Mombi had time to recover from their surprise the six Hoopers had rolled upon them full- speed, knocking them flat upon their backs .Pajuka just saved himself by a quick flop into_the air . then, without unrolling, the six whizzed off backwards and by_the_time snip and Mombi had scrambled up were ready for another dash .

" get the pepper ! get the pepper ! " squawked the goose wildly, but Mombi, furious at her fall, did nothing but hop and howl with rage and snip, seeing that something must_be_done, snatched up her crooked stick . as_the first Hooper came pelting upon them, he_gave it a sharp crack that sent it whirling down the walk . the second and third he served in_the same fashion . the fourth he missed, so_that Mombi again was rolled in_the dust, but the fifth and sixth he caught fairly and, beginning to enjoy the fun, started rolling them like hoops as fast as he_could, whacking first one and then another and screaming with laughter at_the comical expressions on their faces, when their faces came uppermost .

" go it, snip ! go it ! " exulted Pajuka, flapping his wings delightedly . but snip needed no encouragement and only stopped at last for lack of breath . immediately the Hoopers unrolled and, groaning and whooping and holding their sides, limped off into_the bushes .Hundreds of_the creatures had gathered by_this_time and, as snip sank down on a bench to rest, the very tallest Hooper came rolling toward them .

" what do_you_mean by beating my subjects in_this heartless fashion ? " demanded the great fellow, unrolling to_his full height and glaring sternly down at_the little button boy .

" well, they started it," replied snip, keeping a firm hold on Mombi's stick ."Didn't they Pajuka ? "

" they certainly did," asserted the goose, settling down on_the bench beside snip ." is_it usual to knock down innocent travelers without reason or ceremony ? " - " is_it usual to sit in_the presence of a king ? " retorted the Hooper stiffly . at_this all his subjects began whooping faintly, " bow down to Rollo the royal, bow down to king Rollo the worst ! "

"Oh, roll up ! " said snip scornfully ." you're only alot of live hoops anyway . why should we bow ? "

" leave the park instantly ! " roared Rollo, bouncing up and down with rage .

" let's," said snip, grinning over at Pajuka .

"I'm ready," agreed the goose, " but where's Mombi ? "

" here ! " spluttered the witch, rolling out of a bonnet bush ." any more nonsense from_these creatures and I'll turn them to breakfast rolls and eat them for supper ."

"A witch ! " whooped the king .

"A witch ! " coughed all the others and, seizing their toes, the whole company of_them whirled off together and disappeared in a cloud of dust . so without further excitement, the three adventurers reached the other side of_the Hoopers' park and, opening a small gate in_the fence that surrounded it, found themselves again on_the zig-zag pathway .a large sign posted on one_of_the trees immediately attracted snip's attention .

"Fifty leaps to_the Corners," announced the sign curiously enough .

"Leaps ! " gasped snip, while Mombi pushed back her hat and stood on tip- toe to examine the crooked letters ." must we leap all the way ? "

" better look before we_do," chuckled Pajuka, scratching his head with_the third toe of_his left foot ."I've been in some pretty tight corners in my_time, and prefer to_go around the rest of_them ."

" we'll go straight on . who's afraid ? " sneered Mombi . snip, thinking of_the way she had hidden in_the bonnet bush while he beat off the Hoopers, winked at Pajuka and Pajuka, with a little flutter of_his wings, winked back . then all three started along the narrow path together .

chapter 6

in Catty Corners

suppose the king were a goat, do_you_think you_would still remember him ? " asked snip, as_they zig-zagged along the strange pathway .

" certainly ! " honked Pajuka, fluttering down ."I'd know him in any shape . but why do_you ask ? what makes you_think the king is a goat ? are there any goats around here ? " Shooting out his neck,- Pajuka began peering this_way and_that .

"I don't know," admitted snip frankly ." i_was just wondering ."

" you talk too_much," snapped Mombi, stopping to pull up her stocking ." if I_could remember . my magic I'd turn you to a parrot ! "

at_this several of_the trees that edged the - pathway burst into loud roars of laughter, shaking all over and clasping theinselves about_the trunk with their branches . snip was so astonished that he jumped backward and Pajuka, stepping on_his own toes, fell forward on_his head .

"Oh, my dear will, these are funny ones, chortled the first tree ." look at_that ridiculous bird and_that squidgety old skumpus, and would you count the buttons on_the boy's suit

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