Oz 05: The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum
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can reach that beautiful country because of_these Destroying Sands

"Oh," said Dorothy, when_the shaggy man had read the sign aloud; "I've seen this desert before, and it's true no one can live who tries to walk upon_the sands ."

" then we musn't try it," answered the shaggy man thoughtfully ." but as_we_can't go ahead and there's no use going back, what shall we_do next ? "

"Don't know," said button- bright .

"I'm sure I don't know, either," added Dorothy, despondently .

" i_wish father would come for_me," sighed the pretty rainbow's daughter, " i_would take you all to live upon_the rainbow, where you_could dance along its rays from morning till night, without a care or worry of any sort . but I suppose father's too busy just now to search the world for_me ."

"Don't want to dance," said button- bright, sitting down wearily upon_the soft grass .

" it's very_good of you, Polly," said Dorothy; " but there_are other things that_would suit me better than dancing on rainbows .I'm 'fraid they'd be kind of soft an' squashy under foot, anyhow, although they're so pretty to look at ."

this didn't help to solve the problem, and_they all fell silent and looked at one another questioningly .

" really, I don't know what to_do," muttered the shaggy man, gazing hard at Toto; and_the little dog wagged his tail and said " bow-wow ! " just as_if he_could_not tell, either, what to_do . button- bright got a stick and began to dig in_the earth, and_the others watched him for a while in deep thought . finally, the shaggy man said:

" it's nearly evening, now; so we_may as_well sleep in_this pretty place and get rested; perhaps by morning we_can decide what_is best to_be_done ."

there_was little chance to_make beds for_the children, but the leaves of_the trees grew thickly and would serve to_keep off the night dews, so the shaggy man piled soft grasses in_the thickest shade and when it_was dark they lay down and slept peacefully until morning .

long after_the others were asleep, however, the shaggy man sat in_the starlight by_the spring, gazing thoughtfully into its bubbling waters . suddenly he smiled and nodded to himself as_if he had found a good thought, after which he, too, laid himself down under a tree and was soon lost in slumber .

in_the bright morning sunshine, as_they ate of_the strawberries and sweet juicy pears, Dorothy said:

"Polly, can_you do any magic ? "

" no dear," answered polychrome, shaking her dainty head .

" you ought to_know some magic, being the rainbow's daughter," continued Dorothy, earnestly .

" but we who live on_the rainbow among_the fleecy clouds have no use for magic," replied polychrome .

" what I'd like," said Dorothy, " is to_find some way to cross the desert to_the land of Oz and its emerald city .I've crossed it already, you_know, more than once . first a cyclone carried my house over, and some silver shoes brought me back again-- in half a second . then Ozma took me over on her magic carpet, and_the Nome king's magic belt took me home that_time . you_see it_was magic that did it every time 'cept the first, and we_can't 'spect a cyclone to happen along and take us to_the emerald city now ."

" no indeed," returned Polly, with a shudder, "I hate cyclones, anyway ."

" that's why i_wanted to_find out if_you_could do any magic," said the little Kansas girl ."I'm sure I_can't; and I'm sure button- bright can't; and_the only magic the shaggy man has is_the love magnet, which won't help_us much ."

"Don't be too sure of_that, my dear," spoke the shaggy man, a smile on_his donkey face ." I_may not be_able to_do magic myself, but I_can call to_us a powerful friend who loves me because I own the love magnet, and this friend surely will_be_able to help_us ."

" who_is your friend ? " asked Dorothy .

"Johnny Dooit ."

" what can Johnny do ? "

" anything," answered the shaggy man, with confidence .

" ask him to_come," she exclaimed, eagerly .

the shaggy man took the love magnet from_his pocket and unwrapped the paper that surrounded it .Holding the charm in_the palm of_his hand he looked at it steadily and said these words:

" dear Johnny Dooit, come to_me . I_need you bad as bad can_be ."

" well, here I_am," said a cheery little voice; " but you shouldn't say you_need me bad, ' cause I'm always, always, good ."

at_this they quickly whirled around to_find a funny little man sitting on a big copper chest, puffing smoke from a long pipe . his hair was grey, his whiskers were grey; and these whiskers were so_long that he had wound the ends of_them around his waist and tied them in a hard knot underneath the leather apron that reached from_his chin nearly to_his feet, and which_was soiled and scratched as_if it had_been used a long_time . his nose was broad, and stuck up a little; but his eyes were twinkling and merry . the little man's hands and arms were as hard and tough as_the leather in_his apron, and Dorothy thought Johnny Dooit looked as_if he had done alot of hard work in_his lifetime .

" good morning, Johnny," said the shaggy man ." thank_you_for coming to_me so quickly ."

"I never waste time," said the newcomer, promptly ." but what's happened to_you ? where did you get that donkey head ? really, I wouldn't have known you at all, shaggy man, if I hadn't looked at your feet ."

the shaggy man introduced Johnny Dooit to Dorothy and Toto and button- bright and_the rainbow's daughter, and told him the story of_their adventures, adding that_they were anxious now to reach the emerald city in_the land of Oz, where Dorothy had friends who_would take care of_them and send_them safe home again .

" but," said he, " we_find that we_can't cross this desert, which turns all living flesh that touches it into dust; so I_have asked you to_come and help_us ."

Johnny Dooit puffed his pipe and looked carefully at_the dreadful desert in front of_them--stretching so_far away they_could_not see its end .

" you_must ride," he_said, briskly .

" what in ? " asked the shaggy man .

" in a sand- boat, which_has runners like a sled and sails like a ship . the wind will blow you swiftly across the desert and_the sand cannot touch your flesh to_turn it into dust ."

" good ! " cried Dorothy, clapping her hands delightedly ." that was_the way the magic carpet took us across . we didn't have to touch the horrid sand at all ."

" but where is_the sand- boat ? " asked the shaggy man, looking all around him .

"I'll make you one," said Johnny Dooit .

as he spoke, he knocked the ashes from_his pipe and put it in_his pocket . then he unlocked the copper chest and lifted the lid, and Dorothy saw it_was full of shining tools of all sorts and shapes .

Johnny Dooit moved quickly now-- so quickly that_they were astonished at_the work he_was able to accomplish . he had in_his chest a tool for everything he_wanted to_do, and these must_have been magic tools because they_did their work so fast and so_well .

the man hummed a little song as he worked, and Dorothy tried to listen to_it . she thought the words were something like these:

the only way to_do a thing is do_it when_you can, and do_it cheerfully, and sing and work and think and plan . the only real unhappy one is he who dares to shirk; the only really happy one is he who cares to work .

whatever Johnny Dooit was singing he_was certainly doing things, and_they all stood by and watched him in amazement .

he seized an axe and in a couple of chops felled a tree . next he_took a saw and in_a_few_minutes sawed the tree- trunk into broad, long boards . he then nailed the boards together into_the shape of a boat, about twelve feet long and four feet wide . he cut from another tree a long, slender pole which, when trimmed of_its branches and fastened upright in_the center of_the boat, served as a mast . from_the chest he drew a coil of rope and a big bundle of canvas, and with_these-- still humming his song-- he rigged up a sail, arranging it so it could_be raised or lowered upon_the mast .

Dorothy fairly gasped with wonder to_see the thing grow so speedily before her eyes, and both button- bright and Polly looked on with_the same absorbed interest .

" it ought_to_be painted," said Johnny Dooit, tossing his tools back into_the chest, " for that_would make it look prettier . but ' though I_can paint it for_you in three seconds it would take an hour to dry, and_that's a waste of_time ."

" we don't care how it looks," said the shaggy man, " if only it_will take us across the desert ."

" it_will do_that," declared Johnny Dooit ." all you_need worry about is tipping over . did you ever sail a ship ? "

"I've seen one sailed," said the shaggy man .

" good . sail this boat the way you've seen a ship sailed, and you'll be across the sands before_you know it ."

with_this he slammed down the lid of_the chest, and_the noise made them all wink . while they were winking the workman disappeared, tools and all .

12 . the deadly desert Crossed

"Oh, that's too bad ! " cried Dorothy; " i_wanted to thank Johnny Dooit for all his kindness to_us ."

" he hasn't time to listen to thanks," replied the shaggy man; " but I'm sure he_knows we_are grateful .I suppose he_is already at work in some other part of_the world ."

they now looked more carefully at_the sand- boat, and saw that_the bottom was modeled with two sharp runners which would glide through_the sand . the front of_the sand- boat was pointed like the bow of a ship, and there_was a rudder at_the stern to steer by .

it had_been built just at_the edge of_the desert, so_that all its length lay upon_the gray sand except the after part, which still rested on_the strip of grass .

" get in, my dears," said the shaggy man; "I'm sure I_can manage this boat as_well as any sailor . all you_need do is sit still in your places ."

Dorothy got in, Toto in her arms, and sat on_the bottom of_the boat just in front of_the mast . button- bright sat in front of Dorothy, while Polly leaned over the bow . the shaggy man knelt behind the mast . when all were ready he raised the sail half- way . the wind caught it . at once the sand- boat started forward-- slowly at first, then with added speed . the shaggy man pulled the sail way up, and_they flew so fast over the deadly desert that every_one held fast to_the sides of_the boat and scarcely dared to breathe .

the sand lay in billows, and was in places very uneven, so that_the boat rocked dangerously from side to side; but it never quite tipped over, and_the speed was so great that_the shaggy man himself became frightened and began to wonder how he_could make_the ship go slower .

" it we're spilled in_this sand, in_the middle of_the desert," Dorothy thought to herself, " we'll be nothing but dust in_a_few_minutes, and that_will_be the end of us ."

but they were_not spilled, and by- and- by polychrome, who was clinging to_the bow and looking straight ahead, saw a dark line before them and wondered what it_was . it grew plainer every second, until she discovered it to_be a row of jagged rocks at_the end of_the desert, while high above these rocks she_could see atableland of green grass and beautiful trees .

" look out ! " she screamed to_the shaggy man ." go slowly, or we_shall smash into_the rocks ."

he heard her, and tried to pull down the sail; but the wind would_not let go of_the broad canvas and_the ropes had become tangled .

nearer and nearer they drew to_the great rocks, and_the shaggy man was in despair because he_could do nothing to stop the wild rush of_the sand- boat .

they reached the edge of_the desert and bumped squarely into_the rocks . there_was a crash as Dorothy, button- bright, Toto and Polly flew up in_the air in a curve like a skyrocket's, one after another landing high upon_the grass, where they rolled and tumbled for a time before_they could stop themselves .

the shaggy man flew after them, head first, and lighted in a heap beside Toto, who, being much excited at_the_time, seized one_of_the donkey ears between his teeth and shook and worried it as hard as he_could, growling angrily . the shaggy man made the little dog let go, and sat up_to look around him .

Dorothy was feeling one of her front teeth, which_was loosened by knocking against her knee as she fell .Polly was looking sorrowfully at a rent in her pretty gauze gown, and button- bright's fox head had stuck fast in a gopher hole and he_was wiggling his little fat legs frantically in an effort to_get free .

otherwise they were unhurt by_the adventure; so the shaggy man stood up and pulled button- bright out_of_the hole and went to_the edge of_the desert to look at_the sand- boat . it_was amere

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