Oz 09: The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum
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bill ." he_will_be our leader, and wherever the Ork flies you_are to fly, and wherever the Ork lands you_are to land . is_that satisfactory ? "

the birds declared it_was quite satisfactory, so Cap'n bill took counsel with_the Ork .

" on_our way here," said that peculiar creature, "I noticed a broad, sandy desert at_the left of me, on which_was no living thing ."

" then we'd better keep away from_it," replied the sailor .

" not so," insisted the Ork ." I_have found, on my travels, that_the most pleasant countries often lie in_the midst of deserts; so i_think it would_be wise for_us to fly over this desert and discover what lies beyond it . for in_the direction we came from lies the ocean, as_we well know, and beyond here_is this strange land of Mo, which we_do_not care to explore . on one side, as we_can_see from_this mountain, is a broad expanse of plain, and on_the other the desert . for_my part, I vote for_the desert ."

" what do_you say, trot ? " inquired Cap'n bill .

" it's all the same to_me," she replied .

no one thought of asking button- bright's opinion, so it_was decided to fly over the desert . they bade good-bye to_the bumpy man and thanked him for_his kindness and hospitality . then they seated themselves in_the swings -- one for each bird -- and told the Ork to start away and they_would follow .

the whirl of_the Ork's tail astonished the birds at first, but after he had gone a short distance they rose in_the air, carrying their passengers easily, and flew with strong, regular strokes of_their great wings in_the wake of_their leader .

chapter Nine

the kingdom of Jinxland

trot rode with more comfort than she had expected, although the swing swayed so_much that she had to hold on tight with both hands .Cap'n bill's bird followed the Ork, and trot came next, with button- bright trailing behind her . it_was quite an imposing procession, but unfortunately there_was no one to_see it, for_the Ork had headed straight for_the great sandy desert and in_a_few_minutes after starting they were flying high over the broad waste, where no living thing could exist .

the little girl thought this_would_be a bad place for_the birds to lose strength, or for_the cloth ropes to_give way; but although she_could_not help feeling a trifle nervous and fidgety she had confidence in_the huge and brilliantly plumaged bird that bore her, as_well as in Cap'n bill's knowledge of how to twist and fasten a rope so it would hold .

that was aremarkably big desert . there_was nothing to relieve the monotony of view and every_minute seemed an hour and every hour a day . disagreeable fumes and gases rose from_the sands, which would_have_been deadly to_the travelers had they not been so high in_the air . as it_was, trot was beginning to_feel sick, when a breath of fresher air filled her nostrils and on looking ahead she saw a great cloud of pink- tinted mist . even while she wondered what it could_be, the Ork plunged boldly into_the mist and_the other birds followed . she_could see nothing for a time, nor could the bird which carried her see where the Ork had gone, but it kept flying as sturdily as ever and in a few_moments the mist was passed and_the girl saw a most beautiful landscape spread out below her, extending as far as her eye could reach .

she saw bits of forest, verdure clothed hills, fields of waving grain, fountains, rivers and lakes; and throughout_the scene were scattered groups of pretty houses and a few grand castles and palaces .

over all this delightful landscape -- which from trot's high perch seemed like a magnificent painted picture -- was a rosy glow such as_we sometimes see in_the west at sunset . in this_case, however, it_was not in_the west only, but everywhere .

no wonder the Ork paused to circle slowly over this lovely country . the other birds followed his action, all eyeing the place with equal delight . then, as with one accord, the four formed a group and slowly sailed downward . this brought them to_that part of_the newly- discovered land which bordered on_the desert's edge; but it_was just as pretty here as anywhere, so the Ork and_the birds alighted and_the three passengers at once got out of_their swings .

"Oh, Cap'n bill, isn't this fine an' dandy ? " exclaimed trot rapturously ." how lucky we were to discover this beautiful country ! "

" the country seems rather high class, I'll admit, trot," replied the old sailor- man, looking around him, " but we don't know, as_yet, what its people are like ."

" no one could live in_such a country without being happy and good -- I'm sure of_that," she said earnestly ."Don't you_think so, button- bright ? "

"I'm not thinking, just now," answered the little boy ." it tires me to_think, and I never seem to gain anything by_it . when we see the people who live here we_will know what they_are like, and no ' mount of thinking will make them any different ."

" that's true enough," said the Ork ." but now i_want to_make a proposal . while you_are getting acquainted with_this new country, which looks as_if it contains everything to_make one happy, i_would like to fly along - - all by_myself -- and_see if I_can find my home on_the other side of_the great desert . if I_do, i_will stay there, of_course . but if I fail to_find Orkland i_will return to_you in a week, to_see if I_can do anything more to assist you ."

they were sorry to lose their queer companion, but could offer no objection to_the plan; so the Ork bade them good-bye and rising swiftly in_the air, he flew over the country and was soon lost to view in_the distance .

the three birds which had carried our friends now begged permission to return by_the_way they had come, to_their own homes, saying they were anxious to show their families how big they had become . so Cap'n bill and trot and button- bright all thanked them gratefully for their assistance and soon the birds began their long flight toward the land of Mo . being now left to themselves in_this strange land, the three comrades selected a pretty pathway and began walking along it . they believed this path would lead them to a splendid castle which they espied in_the distance, the turrets of_which towered far above the tops of_the trees which surrounded it . it did_not seem very far away, so they sauntered on slowly, admiring the beautiful ferns and flowers that lined the pathway and listening to_the singing of_the birds and_the soft chirping of_the grasshoppers .

presently the path wound over a little hill . in a valley that lay beyond the hill was a tiny cottage surrounded by flower beds and fruit trees . on_the shady porch of_the cottage they saw, as_they approached, a pleasant faced woman sitting amidst a group of children, to_whom she was telling stories . the children quickly discovered the strangers and ran toward them with exclamations of astonishment, so_that trot and her friends became the center of a curious group, all chattering excitedly .Cap'n bill's wooden leg seemed to arouse the wonder of_the children, as they_could_not understand why he had_not two meat legs . this attention seemed to_please the old sailor, who patted the heads of_the children kindly and then, raising his hat to_the woman, he inquired:

" can_you tell us, madam, just what country this_is ? "

she stared hard at all three of_the strangers as she replied briefly: "Jinxland ."

"Oh ! " exclaimed Cap'n bill, with a puzzled look ." and where is Jinxland, please ? "

" in_the Quadling country," said she .

" what ! " cried trot, in sudden excitement ." do_you_mean to_say this_is_the Quadling country of_the land of Oz ? "

" to_be_sure I_do," the woman answered ." every bit of land that_is surrounded by_the great desert is_the land of Oz, as_you ought to_know as_well as I_do; but I'm sorry to_say that Jinxland is separated from_the rest of_the Quadling country by_that row of high mountains you_see yonder, which_have such steep sides that no one can cross them . so we live here all by ourselves, and_are ruled by our own king, instead of by Ozma of Oz ."

"I've been to_the land of Oz before," said button- bright, " but I've never been here ."

" did you ever hear of Jinxland before ? " asked trot .

" no," said button- bright .

" it_is on_the map of Oz, though," asserted the woman, " and it's a fine country, I assure you . if only," she added, and then paused to look around her with a frightened expression ." if only --" here she stopped again, as if_not daring to_go on with her speech .

" if only what, MA'am ? " asked Cap'n bill .

the woman sent the children into_the house . then she came closer to_the strangers and whispered: " if only we had a different king, we_would_be very happy and contented ."

" what's the matter with your king ? " asked trot, curiously . but the woman seemed frightened to_have said so_much . she retreated to her porch, merely saying:

" the king punishes severely any treason on_the_part of_his subjects ."

" what's treason ? " asked button- bright .

" in this_case," replied Cap'n bill, " treason seems to consist of knockin' the king; but I guess we_know his disposition now as_well as if_the lady had said more ."

"I wonder," said trot, going up_to_the woman, " if_you_could spare us something to eat . we haven't had anything but popcorn and lemonade for_a_long_time ."

" bless your heart ! of_course I_can spare you some food," the woman answered, and entering her cottage she soon returned with a tray loaded with sandwiches, cakes and cheese . one_of_the children drew a bucket of clear, cold water from a spring and_the three wanderers ate heartily and enjoyed the good things immensely .

when button- bright could eat no more he filled the pockets of_his jacket with cakes and cheese, and not even the children objected to_this . indeed they all seemed pleased to_see the strangers eat, so Cap'n bill decided that no matter what the king of Jinxland was like, the people would prove friendly and hospitable .

" whose castle is_that, yonder, MA'am ? " he asked, waving his hand toward the towers that rose above the trees .

" it belongs to_his majesty, king Krewl ." she said .

"Oh, indeed; and does he live there ? "

" when he_is_not out hunting with_his fierce courtiers and war captains," she replied .

" is he hunting now ? " trot inquired .

" I_do_not know, my dear . the less we_know about_the king's actions the safer we_are ."

it_was evident the woman did_not like to_talk about king Krewl and so, having finished their meal, they said good-bye and continued along the pathway .

"Don't you_think we'd better keep away from_that king's castle, Cap'n ? " asked trot .

" well," said he, " king Krewl would find out, sooner or later, that we_are in_his country, so we_may as_well face the music now . perhaps he isn't quite so bad as_that woman thinks he_is .Kings aren't always popular with their people, you_know, even if they_do the best they know how ."

"Ozma is pop'lar," said button- bright .

"Ozma is diff' rent from any_other ruler, from all I've heard," remarked trot musingly, as she walked beside the boy ." and, after all, we_are really in_the land of Oz, where Ozma rules ev'ry king and ev'rybody else .I never heard of anybody getting hurt in her dominions, did you, button- bright ? "

" not when she knows about_it," he replied ." but those birds landed us in just the wrong place, seems to_me . they_might have carried us right on, over that row of mountains, to_the Em'rald city ."

" true enough," said Cap'n bill; " but they didn't, an' so we_must make_the best of Jinxland . let's try not to_be afraid ."

"Oh, I'm not very scared," said button- bright, pausing to look at a pink rabbit that popped its head out of a hole in_the field near by .

" nor am I," added trot ." really, Cap'n, I'm so glad to_be anywhere at all in_the wonderful fairyland of Oz that i_think I'm the luckiest girl in all the world . Dorothy lives in_the Em'rald city, you_know, and so does the Scarecrow and_the tin woodman and Tik-Tok and_the shaggy man -- and all the rest of 'em that we've heard so_much about -- not to mention Ozma, who_must be the sweetest and loveliest girl in all the world ! "

" take your time, trot," advised button- bright ." you don't have to_say it all in one breath, you_know . and you haven't mentioned half of_the curious people in_the Em'rald city ."

" that 'ere Em'rald city," said Cap'n bill impressively, "happens to_be on_the other side o' those mountains, that we're told no one is able to cross .I don't want to discourage of you, trot, but we're a' most as_much separated from your Ozma an' Dorothy as_we were when we lived in Californy ."

there_was so_much truth in_this statement that_they all walked on in silence for some_time . finally they reached the grove of stately trees that bordered the grounds of_the king's castle . they had gone halfway through it when_the sound of sobbing, as of someone in bitter distress, reached their ears and caused them to halt abruptly .

chapter Ten

Pon, the gardener's boy

it_was button- bright who first discovered, lying on_his face beneath a broad spreading tree near the pathway, a young man whose body shook with_the force of_his sobs . he_was dressed in a long brown smock and had sandals on_his feet, betokening one in humble life . his head was bare and showed a shock of brown,

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