Now, General Jinjur -- who, you
will remember, commanded the Army of Revolt -- was rendered very uneasy by
the escape of the Scarecrow from the Emerald City. She feared, and with good
reason, that if his Majesty and the Tin Woodman Joined forces, it would mean
danger to her and her entire army; for the people of Oz had not yet
forgotten the deeds of these famous heroes, who had passed successfully
through so many startling adventures.
So Jinjur sent post-haste for old
Mombi, the witch, and promised her large rewards if she would come to the
assistance of the rebel army.
Mombi was furious at the trick Tip
had played upon her as well as at his escape and the theft of the precious
Powder of Life; so she needed no urging to induce her to travel to the
Emerald City to assist Jinjur in defeating the Scarecrow and the Tin
Woodman, who had made Tip one of their friends.
Mombi had no sooner arrived at the
royal palace than she discovered, by means of her secret magic, that the
adventurers were starting upon their Journey to the Emerald City; so she
retired to a small room high up in a tower and locked herself in while she
practised such arts as she could command to prevent the return of the
Scarecrow and his companions.
|
That was why the Tin
Woodman presently stopped and said:
"Something very curious
has happened. I ought to know by heart and every step of this
Journey, yet I fear we have already lost our way."
"That is quite
impossible!" protested the Scarecrow. "Why do you think, my dear
friend, that we have gone astray?"
"Why, here before us is
a great field of sunflowers -- and I never saw this field before
in all my life."
At these words they all
looked around, only to find that they were indeed surrounded by
a field of tall stalks, every stalk bearing at its top a
gigantic sunflower. And not only were these flowers almost
blinding in their vivid hues of red and gold, but each one
whirled around upon its stalk like a miniature wind-mill,
completely dazzling the vision of the beholders and so
mystifying them that they knew not which way to turn.
"It's witchcraft!"
exclaimed Tip.
While they paused,
hesitating and wondering, the Tin Woodman uttered a cry of
impatience and advanced with swinging axe to cut down the stalks
before him. But now the sunflowers suddenly stopped their rapid
whirling, and the travelers plainly saw a girl's face appear in
the center of each flower. These lovely faces looked upon the
astonished band with mocking smiles, and then burst into a
chorus of merry laughter at the dismay their appearance caused.
"Stop! stop!" cried
Tip, seizing the Woodman's arm; "they're alive! they're girls!"
At that moment the
flowers began whirling again, and the faces faded away and were
lost in the rapid revolutions. |
|
The Tin Woodman dropped his axe and
sat down upon the ground.
"It would be heartless to chop down
those pretty creatures," said he, despondently. "and yet I do not know how
else we can proceed upon our way."
"They looked to me strangely like
the faces of the Army of Revolt," mused the Scarecrow. "But I cannot
conceive how the girls could have followed us here so quickly."
"I believe it's magic," said Tip,
positively, "and that someone is playing a trick upon us. I've known old
Mombi do things like that before. Probably it's nothing more than an
illusion, and there are no sunflowers here at all."
"Then let us shut our eyes and walk
forward," suggested the Woodman.
"Excuse me," replied the Scarecrow.
"My eyes are not painted to shut. Because you happen to have tin eyelids,
you must not imagine we are all built in the same way."
"And the eyes of the Saw-Horse are
knot eyes," said Jack, leaning forward to examine them.
"Nevertheless, you must ride
quickly forward," commanded Tip, "and we will follow after you and so try to
escape. My eyes are already so dazzled that I can scarcely see."
So the Pumpkinhead rode boldly
forward, and Tip grasped the stub tail of the Saw-Horse and followed with
closed eyes. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman brought up the rear, and
before they had gone many yards a Joyful shout from Jack announced that the
way was clear before them.
Then all paused to look backward,
but not a trace of the field of sunflowers remained.
More cheerfully, now they proceeded
upon their Journey; but old Mombi had so changed the appearance of the
landscape that they would surely have been lost had not the Scarecrow wisely
concluded to take their direction from the sun. For no witch-craft could
change the course of the sun, and it was therefore a safe guide.
However, other difficulties lay
before them. The Saw-Horse stepped into a rabbit hole and fell to the
ground. The Pumpkinhead was pitched high into the air, and his history would
probably have ended at that exact moment had not the Tin Woodman skillfully
caught the pumpkin as it descended and saved it from injury.
Tip soon had it fitted to the neck
again and replaced Jack upon his feet. But the Saw-Horse did not escape so
easily. For when his leg was pulled from the rabbit hole it was found to be
broken short off, and must be replaced or repaired before he could go a step
farther.
"This is quite serious," said the
Tin Woodman." If there were trees near by I might soon manufacture another
leg for this animal; but I cannot see even a shrub for miles around."
"And there are neither fences nor
houses in this part of the land of Oz," added the Scarecrow, disconsolately.
"Then what shall we do?" enquired
the boy.
"I suppose I must start my brains
working," replied his Majesty the Scarecrow; "for experience has, taught me
that I can do anything if I but take time to think it out."
"Let us all think," said Tip; "and
perhaps we shall find a way to repair the Saw-Horse."
So they sat in a row upon the grass
and began to think, while the Saw-Horse occupied itself by gazing curiously
upon its broken limb.
"Does it hurt?" asked the Tin
Woodman, in a soft, sympathetic voice.
"Not in the least," returned the
Saw-Horse; "but my pride is injured to find that my anatomy is so brittle."
For a time the little group
remained in silent thought. Presently the Tin Woodman raised his head and
looked over the fields.
"What sort of creature is that
which approaches us?" he asked, wonderingly.
The others followed his gaze, and
discovered coming toward them the most extraordinary object they had ever
beheld. It advanced quickly and noiselessly over the soft grass and in a few
minutes stood before the adventurers and regarded them with an astonishment
equal to their own.
The Scarecrow was calm under all
circumstances.
"Good morning!" he said, politely.
The stranger removed his hat with a
flourish, bowed very low, and then responded:
"Good morning, one and all. I hope
you are, as an aggregation, enjoying excellent health. Permit me to present
my card."
With this courteous speech it
extended a card toward the Scarecrow, who accepted it, turned it over and
over, and handed it with a shake of his head to Tip.
The boy read aloud:
"MR. H. M. WOGGLE-BUG, T. E."
"Dear me!" ejaculated the
Pumpkinhead, staring somewhat intently.
"How very peculiar!" said the Tin
Woodman.
Tip's eyes were round and
wondering, and the Saw-Horse uttered a sigh and turned away its head.
"Are you really a Woggle-Bug?"
enquired the Scarecrow.
"Most certainly, my dear sir!"
answered the stranger, briskly. "Is not my name upon the card?"
"It is," said the Scarecrow. "But
may I ask what 'H. M.' stands for?"
"'H. M.' means Highly Magnified,"
returned the Woggle-Bug, proudly.
"Oh, I see." The Scarecrow viewed
the stranger critically. "And are you, in truth, highly magnified?"
"Sir," said the Woggle-Bug, "I take
you for a gentleman of judgment and discernment. Does it not occur to you
that I am several thousand times greater than any Woggle-Bug you ever saw
before? Therefore it is plainly evident that I am Highly Magnified, and
there is no good reason why you should doubt the fact."
"Pardon me," returned the
Scarecrow. "My brains are slightly mixed since I was last laundered. Would
it be improper for me to ask, also, what the 'T.E.' at the end of your name
stands for?"
"Those letters express my degree,"
answered the Woggle-Bug, with a condescending smile. "To be more explicit,
the initials mean that I am Thoroughly Educated."
"Oh!" said the Scarecrow, much
relieved.
Tip had not yet taken his eyes off
this wonderful personage. What he saw was a great, round, buglike body
supported upon two slender legs which ended in delicate feet -- the toes
curling upward. The body of the Woggle-Bug was rather flat, and judging from
what could be seen of it was of a glistening dark brown color upon the back,
while the front was striped with alternate bands of light brown and white,
blending together at the edges. Its arms were fully as slender as its legs,
and upon a rather long neck was perched its head -- not unlike the head of a
man, except that its nose ended in a curling antenna, or "feeler," and its
ears from the upper points bore antennae that decorated the sides of its
head like two miniature, curling pig tails. It must be admitted that the
round, black eyes were rather bulging in appearance; but the expression upon
the Woggle-Bug's face was by no means unpleasant.
For dress the insect wore a
dark-blue swallowtail coat with a yellow silk lining and a flower in the
button-hole; a vest of white duck that stretched tightly across the wide
body; knickerbockers of fawn-colored plush, fastened at the knees with gilt
buckles; and, perched upon its small head, was jauntily set a tall silk hat.
Standing upright before our amazed
friends the Woggle-Bug appeared to be fully as tall as the Tin Woodman; and
surely no bug in all the Land of Oz had ever before attained so enormous a
size.
"I confess," said the Scarecrow,
"that your abrupt appearance has caused me surprise, and no doubt has
startled my companions. I hope, however, that this circumstance will not
distress you. We shall probably get used to you in time."
"Do not apologize, I beg of you!"
returned the Woggle-Bug, earnestly. "It affords me great pleasure to
surprise people; for surely I cannot be classed with ordinary insects and am
entitled to both curiosity and admiration from those I meet."
"You are, indeed," agreed his
Majesty.
"If you will permit me to seat
myself in your august company," continued the stranger, "I will gladly
relate my history, so that you will be better able to comprehend my unusual
-- may I say remarkable? -- appearance."
"You may say what you please,"
answered the Tin Woodman, briefly.
So the Woggle-Bug sat down upon the
grass, facing the little group of wanderers, and told them the following
story:
Next chapter...
( A Highly Magnified History )
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