Oz 02: The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum
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" how are we to_know when we come to_the pallace of Glinda the good ? " he asked .

" it's a long way to Glinda's palace," answered the woodman; "I've traveled it ."

" but how are we to_know how fast the Gump is flying ? " persisted the boy ." we cannot_see a single thing down on_the earth, and before morning we_may_be far beyond the place we_want to reach ."

" that_is all true enough," the Scarecrow replied, a little uneasily ." but I_do_not_see how we_can stop just now; for we_might alight in a river, or on, the top of a steeple; and that_would_be a great disaster ."

so they permitted the Gump to fly on, with regular flops of_its great wings, and waited patiently for morning .

then tip's fears were proven to_be well founded; for with_the first streaks of gray dawn they looked over the sides of_the sofas and discovered rolling plains dotted with queer villages, where the houses, instead of being dome- shaped -- as_they all are in_the land of Oz -- had slanting roofs that rose to a peak

211 in_the center . odd looking animals were also moving about upon_the open plains, and_the country was unfamiliar to both the tin woodman and_the Scarecrow, who had formerly visited Glinda the good's domain and knew it well .

" we_are lost ! " said the Scarecrow, dolefully ." the Gump must_have carried us entirely out_of_the land of Oz and over the sandy deserts and into_the terrible outside world that Dorothy told us about ."

" we_must get back," exclaimed the tin woodman, earnestly ." we_must get back as_soon_as_possible ! "

" turn around ! " cried tip to_the Gump ." turn as quickly as_you_can ! "

" if I_do I_shall upset," answered the Gump ."I'm not at all used to flying, and_the best plan would_be for_me to alight in some place, and then I_can turn around and take a fresh start ."

just then, however, there seemed to_be no stopping- place that_would answer their purpose . they flew over a village so big that_the Woggle- bug declared it_was a city . and then they came to a range of high mountains with many deep gorges and steep cliffs showing plainly .

" now is our chance to stop," said the boy, finding

212 they were very close to_the mountain tops . then he turned to_the Gump and commanded: " stop at_the first level place you_see ! "

" very_well," answered the Gump, and settled down upon a table of rock that stood between two cliffs .

but not being experienced in_such matters, the Gump did_not judge his speed correctly; and instead of coming to a stop upon_the flat rock he missed it by half the width of_his body, breaking off both his right wings against the sharp edge of_the rock and then tumbling over and over down the cliff .

our friends held on to_the sofas as long as they_could, but when_the Gump caught on aproJecting rock the thing stopped suddenly -- bottom side up -- and all were immediately dumped out .

by good fortune they fell only a few feet; for underneath them was a monster nest, built by a colony of Jackdaws in a hollow ledge of rock; so none_of_them -- not even the Pumpkinhead -- was injured by_the fall . for jack found his precious head resting on_the soft breast of_the Scarecrow, which made an excellent cushion; and tip fell on a mass of leaves and papers, which saved him from injury . the Woggle- bug had bumped his round head against

213 full page line- art drawing .

all were immediately DUMPED out .

214 the saw- horse, but without causing him more than a moment's inconvenience .

the tin woodman was at first much alarmed; but finding he had escaped without even a scratch upon his beautiful nickle- plate he at once regained his accustomed cheerfulness and turned to address his comrades .

" our journey had ended rather suddenly," said he; " and we_cannot justly blame our friend the Gump for_our accident, because he_did the best he_could under the circumstances . but how we_are ever to escape from_this nest I_must leave to someone with better brains than I possess ."

here he gazed at_the Scarecrow; who crawled to_the edge of_the nest and looked over . below them was a sheer precipice several hundred feet in depth . above them was a smooth cliff unbroken save by_the point of rock where the wrecked body of_the Gump still hung suspended from_the end of one_of_the sofas . there really seemed to_be no means of escape, and as_they realized their helpless plight the little band of adventurers gave way to_their bewilderment .

" this_is a worse prison than_the palace," sadly remarked the Woggle- bug .

" i_wish we had stayed there," moaned jack .

215 "I'm afraid the mountain air isn't good for pumpkins ."

" it won't be when_the Jackdaws come back," growled the saw- horse, which lay waving its legs in a vain endeavor to_get upon its feet again ."Jackdaws are especially fond of pumpkins ."

" do_you_think the birds will come here ? " asked jack, much distressed .

" of_course they_will," said tip; " for_this is their nest . and there_must_be hundreds of_them," he continued, " for see what alot of things they_have brought here ! "

indeed, the nest was half filled with a most curious collection of small articles for_which the birds could_have no use, but which the thieving Jackdaws had stolen during many years from_the homes of men . and as_the nest was safely hidden where no human being could reach it, this lost property would never be recovered .

the Woggle- bug, searching among_the rubbish -- for_the Jackdaws stole useless things as_well as valuable ones -- turned up with_his foot a beautiful diamond necklace . this_was so greatly admired by_the tin woodman that_the Woggle- bug presented it to him with a graceful speech, after which the woodman hung it around his neck with much pride,

216 full page line- art drawing .

turned up a beautiful diamond necklace .

217 rejoicing exceedingly when_the big diamonds glittered in_the sun's rays .

but now they heard a great jabbering and flopping of wings, and as_the sound grew nearer to_them tip exclaimed:

" the Jackdaws are coming ! and if_they find us here they_will surely kill us in their anger ."

" i_was afraid of_this ! " moaned the Pumpkinhead ." my_time has_come ! "

" and mine, also ! " said the Woggle- bug; " for Jackdaws are the greatest enemies of_my race ."

the others were_not at all afraid; but the Scarecrow at once decided to save those of_the party who were liable to_be injured by_the angry birds . so he commanded tip to_take off jack's head and lie down with it in_the bottom of_the nest, and when_this was_done he ordered the Woggle- bug to lie beside tip . nick chopper, who knew from past experience just what to_do, then took the Scarecrow to pieces ( all except his head) and scattered the straw over tip and_the Woggle- bug, completely covering their bodies .

hardly had this been accomplished when_the flock of Jackdaws reached them .Perceiving the intruders in their nest the birds flew down upon them with screams of rage .

218 full page line- art drawing .

219 Dr .Nikidik's famous Wishing Pills

the tin woodman was usually a peaceful man, but when occasion required he_could fight as fiercely as a Roman gladiator . so, when_the Jackdaws nearly knocked him down in their rush of wings, and their sharp beaks and claws threatened to damage his brilliant plating, the woodman picked up his axe and made it whirl swiftly around his head .

but although many were beaten off in_this_way, the birds were so numerous and so brave that_they continued the attack as furiously as before . some_of_them pecked at_the eyes of_the Gump, which hung over the nest in a helpless condition; but the Gump's eyes were of glass and could_not_be injured .Others of_the Jackdaws rushed at_the saw- horse; but that animal, being still upon his back, kicked out so viciously with_his wooden legs that he beat off as_many assailants as did the woodman's axe .

220

Finding themselves thus opposed, the birds fell upon_the Scarecrow's straw, which lay at_the center of_the nest, covering tip and_the Woggle- bug and jack's pumpkin head, and began tearing it away and flying off with it, only to let it drop, straw by straw into_the great gulf beneath .

the Scarecrow's head, noting with dismay this wanton destruction of_his interior, cried to_the tin woodman to save him; and_that good friend responded with renewed energy . his axe fairly flashed among_the Jackdaws, and fortunately the Gump began wildly waving the two wings remaining on_the left side of_its body . the flutter of_these great wings filled the Jackdaws with terror, and when_the Gump by its exertions freed itself from_the Peg of rock on_which it hung, and sank flopping into_the nest, the alarm of_the birds knew no bounds and_they fled screaming over the mountains .

when_the last foe had disappeared, tip crawled from under the sofas and assisted the Woggle- bug to_follow him .

" we_are saved ! " shouted the boy, delightedly .

" we_are, indeed ! " responded the educated insect, fairly hugging the stiff head of_the Gump in_his joy ." and we owe it all to_the flopping of_the thing, and_the good axe of_the woodman ! "

221

" if I_am saved, get me out of here ! " called jack; whose head was still beneath the sofas; and tip managed to roll the pumpkin out and place it upon its neck again . he also set the saw- horse upright, and said to_it:

" we owe you many thanks for_the gallant fight you_made ."

"I really think we_have escaped very nicely," remarked the tin woodman, in a tone of pride .

" not so ! " exclaimed a hollow voice .

at_this they all turned in surprise to look at_the Scarecrow's head, which lay at_the back of_the nest .

" I_am completely ruined ! " declared the Scarecrow, as he noted their astonishment ." for where is_the straw that stuffs my body ? "

the awful question startled them all . they gazed around the nest with horror, for not a vestige of straw remained . the

222 Jackdaws had stolen it to_the last wisp and flung it all into_the chasm that yawned for hundreds of feet beneath the nest .

" my poor, poor friend ! " said the tin woodman, taking up the Scarecrow's head and caressing it tenderly; " whoever could imagine you_would come to_this untimely end ? "

" I_did it to save my friends," returned the head; " and I_am_glad that I perished in so noble and unselfish a manner ."

" but why are_you all so despondent ? " inquired the Woggle- bug ." the Scarecrow's clothing is still safe ."

" yes," answered the tin woodman; " but our friend's clothes are useless without stuffing ."

" why_not stuff him with money ? " asked tip .

" money ! " they all cried, in an amazed chorus .

" to_be_sure," said the boy ." in_the bottom of_the nest are thousands of dollar bills -- and two- dollar bills -- and five- dollar bills -- and tens, and twenties, and fifties . there_are enough of_them to stuff a dozen Scarecrows . why_not use the money ? "

the tin woodman began to_turn over the rubbish with_the handle of_his axe; and, sure enough, what they had first thought only worthless papers were found to_be all bills of various denominations,

223 which the mischievous Jackdaws had for years been engaged in stealing from_the villages and cities they visited .

there_was an immense fortune lying in_that inaccessible nest; and tip's suggestion was, with_the Scarecrow's consent, quickly acted upon .

they selected all the newest and cleanest bills and assorted them into various piles . the Scarecrow's left leg and boot were stuffed with five- dollar bills; his right leg was stuffed with ten- dollar bills, and_his body so closely filled with fifties, one-hundreds and one-thousands that he_could scarcely button his jacket with comfort .

" you_are now" said the Woggle- bug, impressively, when_the task had_been completed, " the most valuable member of_our party; and as_you

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224 are among faithful friends there_is little danger of your being spent ."

" thank_you," returned the Scarecrow, gratefully ." I_feel like a new man; and although at first glance I_might_be mistaken for a safety deposit vault, I beg you to remember that my Brains are still composed of_the same old material . and these are the possessions that_have always made me a person to_be depended upon in an emergency ."

" well, the emergency is here," observed tip; " and unless your brains help_us out of it we_shall_be compelled to_pass the remainder of_our lives in_this nest ."

" how about these wishing pills ? " enquired the Scarecrow, taking the box from_his jacket pocket ." can't we use them to escape ? "

" not unless we_can count seventeen by twos," answered the tin woodman ." but our friend the Woggle- bug claims to_be highly educated, so he ought easily to figure out how that_can_be done ."

" it isn't a question of education," returned the insect; " it's merely a question of mathematics .I've seen the professor work lots of sums on_the blackboard, and he claimed anything could_be_done with x's and y's and a's, and such things, by mixing them up with plenty of plusses and minuses and equals, and so forth . but he never said anything, so_far as

225 I_can remember, about counting up_to_the odd number of seventeen by_the even numbers of twos ."

" stop ! stop ! " cried the Pumpkinhead ." you're making my head ache ."

" and mine," added the Scarecrow ." your mathematics seem to_me very like a bottle of mixed pickles the more you fish for what you_want the less chance you_have of getting it . I_am certain that if_the thing can_be accomplished at all, it_is in a very simple manner ."

" yes," said tip ." old Mombi couldn't use x's and minuses, for she never went to school ."

" why_not start counting at a half of one ? " asked the saw- horse, abruptly ." then anyone can count up_to seventeen by twos very easily ."

they looked at each_other in surprise, for_the saw- horse was considered the most stupid

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