L. Frank Baum - Oz 33, page 10
“I wonder how the Wizard’s getting along!” mused Dorothy, pulling the blanket a little closer. “It must be awfully dark in that forest.”
“Oh, Wiz’ll be all right, depend on that!” Jellia spoke with a heartiness she was far from feeling. “He’ll have that Princess here before sun-up. If he doesn’t, we’ll just light out and find him!”
“Light out?” inquired the Scarecrow, drawing back still further from the fire. “How do you mean?”
“Yes,” echoed Dorothy, moving closer to Jellia as a board creaked somewhere below. “How do you mean?”
“Oh, I don’t just know,” admitted Jellia frankly. “But there might be something in this kit-bag to help! Let’s have a look, anyway.” Dragging it from under a bench where she had stowed it on their arrival, Jellia zipped it open and began feeling inside, curiously. “I never have had a chance to examine it properly,” Jellia said. “But that cheer gas certainly came in handy, and the freezing fluid and sapling seeds were pretty neat, too! My, whatever are these, now?” Folded neatly on the very top were four suits of blue pajamas with hoods and feet attached like those in an infant’s sleeping garment.
Holding one near to the blaze so she could read the pink placard on the pocket, Jellia gave a little gasp. “Oh, listen!” she whispered, catching Dorothy’s sleeve. “It says: $$,These falling-out suits have not been tested, but I believe they will work and prove safe and practical in case of accident. C4 WIZ.’&&FF20”
“I suppose the Wizard meant them for his Ozoplane passengers to use instead of parachutes,” decided Dorothy, fingering one rather doubtfully. “Well, I should hate to be the $$first&& to try one!”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Jellia, her head on one side, pensively considered the blue pajamas. “I think they’re real cute. I think C4 HARK! What was that?” Dropping the pajamas, she clutched Dorothy as the unmistakable tread of a heavy boot came stamping up the stair.
“Bustabo!” shivered Dorothy. “Oh, he’s not going to wait till morning! He’s coming for us now! Oh, Jellia, JELLIA, what shall we DO?” Dorothy’s voice, rising almost to a shriek, roused the Cowardly Lion. Cocking one ear and arriving at exactly the same conclusion as the little girl, the lion sprang over to waken the Soldier with Green Whiskers. The Scarecrow already was hurrying from window to window, trying the bars with his flimsy cotton fingers. At the window nearest the fireplace he gave a joyful little grunt, for some former prisoner had managed to saw through three of the iron bars. As the Scarecrow pushed, they moved creakily outward. “Quick! Come help me!” urged the Scarecrow, dragging the terrified and only half-awake Soldier to the window. “On with those parachute suits, girls! We’ll jump before we’re tossed out!” Dorothy and Jellia exchanged desperate glances and then C4 as the steps on the stair thumped louder and nearer C4 each grabbed a falling-out suit and zipped herself tidily inside. “Here!” panted Jellia, down on her hands and knees beside the Cowardly Lion. “You can put your front feet in anyway, and $$anything&& will be better than $$nothing&& when you fall!” To her relief and surprise, she discovered that the pajamas would stretch! Even the lion could wear them without too much discomfort. Except for a cramp in his tail, which was coiled tightly
on his back, the lion fitted into his pajamas nicely. As the Soldier with Green Whiskers was trembling too violently to help himself or anyone else, Jellia jerked and pushed him into one of the falling-out suits. Then, picking up the Wizard’s kit-bag and looking solemnly back at her anxious comrades, Jellia climbed to the window sill. “I’ll go first,” she announced, closing her mouth to keep her teeth from chattering.
“No! Let me! I insist on going first,” cried the Scarecrow, springing nimbly up beside Jellia. “Falling does not hurt me at all.” “Oh, hurry! Hurry!” begged Dorothy, glancing fearfully over her shoulder. The footsteps were now so loud and near, she expected the door to burst right open and Bustabo’s red face to appear.
“Goodbye! I’m off!” Before the Scarecrow could stop her, Jellia was off indeed! Clutching the kit-bag to her bosom, she squeezed through the opening between the bars and dove headlong into space! Next, the Scarecrow, with a sad little wave to Dorothy, dropped out of sight. “Help me push this so-called Soldier out!” puffed Dorothy as the Cowardly Lion signalled for her to go next. “If we leave him till last, he’ll never jump at all!” “Halt! About face! Help! Mama! Papa! Help! Help! HELP!” wailed Wantowin Battles. But Dorothy relentlessly forced him to the sill and through the op ening. As his wildly thrashing legs disappeared over the edge, whoever was coming up the stairs broke into a run. Thump, thump, THUMPETY-THUMP! Trembling in every muscle, Dorothy climbed to the sill. Spreading both arms, she launched herself into the air.
She heard the grunt of the Cowardly Lion as he forced his way through the
opening. Then the fierce rush of wind past her ears as she pitched downward drowned out all other sounds. At first she was sure the Wizard’s falling-out suits were failures, for the lion plunged past her, falling like a plummet. She, too, was whirling downward so fast she felt sure she would be crushed on the rocks below. Closing her eyes, she tried to resign herself to whatever was coming. Then, suddenly, the pajamas filled with air, ballooning out till she floated lightly as a feather. The question now was, would she $$ever&& come down?
There was no moon, and in the faint starlight she could make out three other bulky shapes spinning through the air just beneath her. By kicking her legs and flapping her arms, Dorothy managed to miss several jutting rocks and tree limbs. As she floated lower, the suit began gradually to deflate, finally letting her down as softly as could be, on a strip of sand at the base of the mountain. A little distance away she could see Jellia, already stepping out of her falling-out suit, and the Cowardly Lion, waiting impatiently for someone to help him out of his. Wantowin Battles, very brave now that the danger was past, already had stripped off his flying suit and was shaking and patting the Scarecrow into shape, for the poor straw man had been completely flattened out by his fall. “Well, how did you like it?” called Jellia, hurrying over to help the lion untangle himself. “After the first swoop, it wasn’t bad at all. Really, I quite enjoyed it!”
“$$Enjoyed it!&&” choked the Lion, looking indignantly from Dorothy to Jellia. “I’ll never set foot in a plane again as long as I live. Brrrah! Ever since we left the Emerald City we’ve been falling, flying and blowing about like yesterday’s papers. Now that I’m on solid ground at last, I
intend to stay there! The rest of you may do as you please, but I shall walk home if it takes a year!”
“I don’t blame you,” said Jellia, patting the lion soothingly on the nose. “But we can’t start without the Wizard. We’ll have to hide here till morning and then try to find him.”
“Let him find us,” growled the Lion, lashing his tail experimentally to see whether there was any wag left in it after the shameful way it had been cramped in the suit. “The whole trip was his idea, not mine!” “Oh, hush,” warned Dorothy. “Someone will hear you! Ooooh! Someone has!” And sure enough, the faint tinkle of a bell came mysteriously through the gloom.
“Mercy, do you suppose those Red Beards have started after us already?” cried Jellia, looking around for the kit-bag. “But how could they have come down the mountain as fast as we fell?”
“They couldn’t,” whispered the Scarecrow, picking up the bag and handing it to Jellia. “But don’t worry, my dears! It’s probably a herd of goats or cattle. These mountaineers often put bells on their animals. Just keep still and don’t move, and they won’t notice us at all.” Flattening themselves against the rocks at the foot of the mountain, the five adventurers waited tensely. But when a huge, shaggy shape loomed out of the darkness and came charging straight toward them, all five screamed and started to slither sideways.
“Wait! Don’t run! Don’t be frightened!” begged an agitated voice. “Don’t you know me? It’s I! It’s $$me!&& THE WIZARD!”
CHAPTER 16
ESCAPE FROM RED TOP
As the great stag came to a sliding halt, the rays from his silver lantern cast a wavering light over the little group crouched against the rocks. “Hello! How ever did you escape from the castle?” demanded Ozma’s little Magician, sliding recklessly off the high back of his steed and embracing them jubilantly. “We were just coming to help you. Girls, Scarecrow, Soldier, Lion, may I present Azarine, the real Princess of this Mountain, and Shagomar and Dear Deer, her friends!”
Dorothy and Jellia were so stunned by the unexpected appearance of the Wizard, they were able only to manage a couple of breathless bows. And indeed, the lovely picture Azarine made seated demurely on the huge red stag was enough to render anyone speechless. Shaggy himself was breathtaking, too. Not only the lantern and bell hung from his antlers now, but perched unconcernedly on the tallest prong was a lovely white pigeon with a key in his bill.
“This pigeon was going to fly up to the tower with the key to the door,” explained the Wizard as his five comrades continued to gaze at him in stupefied silence. “Fortunately, Azarine, who was imprisoned there before you, had an extra key. She said Bustabo would lock you up in the tower!” exclaimed the Wizard with a nod at the Princess. “But since you already are out and down, we’ll not need the key. Tell me, how did you manage to escape? What did you do? Break down the door?” “No, we just stepped out the window,” the Scarecrow told him with a nonchalant wave upward.
“You mean you jumped all this distance?” gasped Azarine, leaning forward to
peer between Shaggy’s branching antlers while Dear Deer trotted closer to nudge Dorothy with her soft, moist nose.
“Well, sort of,” explained Jellia, putting an arm around the Cowardly Lion, who still was looking extremely sulky. “But first we put on those falling-out suits, Wiz, and you’ll be glad to know they really worked.” “Splendid! $$Splendid!&&” beamed the Wizard with a satisfied shake of his head. “You know, I’d completely forgotten them, but I felt sure you’d find some useful magic in the kit. Did Bustabo keep his promises?” “Well, he locked us up in the tower, and he gave us a pretty good supper,” answered Dorothy. “But we didn’t like being prisoners, and we didn’t feel safe in that castle. Then a little while ago when we heard him thumping up the stair, we just decided to leave! And so C4 we left!” “So we see! So we see!” The Wizard grinned appreciatively, delighted by the spirit of the two girls. “But perhaps we’d better be off! No knowing when Bustabo and his Bowmen will be coming to look for you. Shagomar and Dear Deer have kindly agreed to carry us to the castle of Glinda the Good. Once there, with Glinda’s magic to help me I’ll find some way to deal with Strut and to force Bustabo to give up Azarine’s throne. Now suppose you two girls and the Scarecrow mount Dear Deer, and the Soldier and I will ride with the Princess.”
Dear Deer, at the Wizard’s words, moved over to a flat rock. Without any trouble at all, Jellia and Dorothy climbed to places on her back. Then the Scarecrow vaulted up behind, clasping his arms ‘round Jellia to keep from slipping off. When Wantowin and the Wizard had mounted behind Azarine, the two Deer swung away from the mountain. With the Cowardly Lion loping easily
between, they ran swiftly toward the Southlands. Their gait was so smooth it seemed to Jellia they were flying like figures in a dream through the shadowy forest, with only the twinkle of the silver lantern to light their way. As they raced along, Azarine again told the story of Bustabo’s treachery and how Shagomar had brought the Wizard to her hidden cave. Then the two girls amused the little Princess with the story of their experiences in the Strat. They told her all about their life at home in the Emerald City, and of the curious celebrities who lived in the palace with Ozma. Azarine already was charmed with the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, and kept leaning down to have a better look at the tawny beast trotting so unconcernedly between the two deer. “I tell you,” she proposed generously. “I tell you, if Strut destroys the Emerald City you all can come back and live with me. That is, if Glinda and the Wizard can make Bustabo give my castle and Kingdom back.” “But I do hope we’ll find some way to stop Strut! How long will it take him to reach the capitol?” Dorothy called across to the Wizard. “Well, it took us a night and half a day to fly to Stratovania,” calculated the little Magician, wrinkling his forehead. “So I’m afraid if Strut and the Tin Woodman left yesterday, they’ll be in the Emerald City tomorrow. That is, today.”
“And it’s almost morning now,” shivered Jellia, glancing off toward the East, where the sky already showed the first streaks of lavender and rose. “Now don’t you worry,” begged the Wizard, holding fast to his high hat. “As soon as we reach Glinda’s castle and I have some proper magic to work with, I’ll find a way to make both Strut and Bustabo behave. The few trifles in this kit-bag are a help, but not nearly so powerful enough for rascals like
those. Look, girls, isn’t that Glinda’s castle now?” “Oh, it is! It is!” cried Dorothy, clasping Dear Deer around the neck, she was so relieved and happy. And the silver-trimmed towers and spires of Glinda’s lovely red castle shimmering through the early-morning mists were enough to make anyone happy. Flashing through the beautiful gardens and parks, leaping hedges and flower beds as lightly as swallows, the stag and his mate brought the little band of adventurers to the very door of the castle.
“Goodbye now,” breathed the stag as the Wizard and Soldier slipped off his back and the Wizard lifted Azarine down. “Take care of my little Princess!” “Oh, don’t go!” cried Dorothy, for Dear Deer seemed on the point of vanishing, too. “Do stay and see how it all turns out. Later on, wouldn’t you like to go to the Emerald City and meet the famous animals who live in the capitol?” Shagomar looked questioningly at Dear Deer, and as his pretty little wife seemed interested, he allowed himself to be persuaded. “We’ll wait in the garden,” he whistled softly. “Houses and castles are too stuffy and shut in for Deer people. If you need me, Princess, just ring the silver bell.” Lowering his head so the Princess could slip the bell from his antlers, the stag stood looking at her solemnly. “I will,” promised Azarine, waving her little red handkerchief as the two deer sprang away. They actually seemed to float off above the flowers, so lightly and easily did they run.
CHAPTER 17
THE WIZARD GETS TO WORK
“Please announce us to your Mistress at once!” directed the Wizard to the sleepy little castle-maid who presently came in answer to his loud knock. “But Her Highness and Princess Ozma are not here!” stuttered the maid, her eyes popping at sight of visitors so early in the morning. “They left yesterday to visit Prince Tatters and Grampa in Ragbad!” “Ha, well,” the Wizard turned to the others with a little shrug. “Looks as if I shall have to manage alone. A fortunate thing Ozma did not start back to the Emerald City. At least $$she&& will not fall into Strut’s hands. Here, HERE! Don’t shut the door!” The Wizard quickly pushed past the little serving maid. “Glinda will wish us to make ourselves comfortable in her absence. Now then, Miss, MissC4?” “Greta,” mumbled the girl, looking bashfully at her feet. “Oho, a Greta to greet, eh?” chuckled the Scarecrow, taking off his hat and bowing to the ground. “Well, now, my dear Miss Greta, will you kindly show these young ladies to suitable apartments, and tell the cook to prepare breakfast for six.”
“Make it twelve!” growled the Cowardly Lion with a little bounce toward the maid. “I could eat six all by myself!”
“Yes Sirs! Yes $$Sirs!&&” quavered Greta, running off so fast she lost one of her red slippers.
“Never mind,” laughed Dorothy. “Jellia and I know this castle as well as our own. We’ll show Azarine about and have time for a short nap before breakfast.” The hundred pretty girls who acted as Glinda’s Maids-in-Waiting were still asleep. In fact, no one was stirring in the castle except a few servants. Waving briskly to the girls as they started up the marble stairway, the Wizard went striding toward the red study where the Sorceress
kept all her books on witchcraft, her magic potions, her phials and appliances.
The exquisite palace of Glinda, over which Azarine was exclaiming at every step, was an old story to the Cowardly Lion. Throwing himself down on a huge bearskin, he soon was in a doze and making up the sleep he had lost on the two previous nights. Wantowin Battles had at once gone off to waken an old Soldier Crony of his who drilled Glinda’s Girl Guard, and the Scarecrow, about to follow the Wizard into the study, paused to look at the great record book.
This book, fastened with golden chains to a marble table in the reception room of the castle, records each event as it happens in the Land of Oz. When Glinda goes on a journey, she usually locks the Record book and takes the key with her. But this time she had neglected to do so, and sentences were popping up, row after row on the open pages. As he bent over to peruse the latest entry, the Scarecrow’s painted blue eyes almost popped from his cotton head.
“Fierce Airlanders from the Upper Strat are descending on the Emerald City of Oz,” read the Straw Man, nearly losing his balance. “If measures of defense are not taken at once, the capitol will fall under the fierce attack of the invaders!”
“Wiz! YO, WIZ!” yelled the Scarecrow, taking a furious slide into the study. “Hurry! HURRY! For the love of Oz, hurry, or Strut will blow Ozma’s castle into the Strat! The Record Book says so!” he panted, grabbing the Wizard’s arm to steady himself. The Wizard, working over the delicate apparatus on a long table, looked up with an anxious frown.
“Now, now, you must be a little patient,” he told the Scarecrow earnestly. “I’m hurrying just as fast as ever I can.”
“But what do you propose to do?” demanded the Scarecrow, puckering his
forehead into almost forty deep wrinkles. “Can’t you whiz these
Stratovanians away or send them back where they came from?” “Not without Ozma’s magic belt,” sighed the Wizard. “And you know perfectly
