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09 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum · Adventure Books Library

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  Chapter nine, The queen of the field mice, We cannot be far from
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  the road of yellow brick, now, remarked the scarecrow as he stood beside
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  the girl, for we have come nearly as far as the river carried us
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  away. The tin woodman was about to reply when he heard a low growl,
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  and turning his head, which worked beautifully on hinges, he saw a
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  strange beast bounding over the grass towards them. It was, indeed a great
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  yellow wild cat, and the woodman thought it must be chasing something, for
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  its ears were lying close to its head, and its mouth was wide open,
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  showing two rows of ugly teeth, while its red eyes glowed like balls
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  of fire. As it came nearer, the tin woodman saw that running before
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  the beast was a little gray field mouse, and although he had no heart,
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  he knew that it was wrong for the wild cat to try to kill
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  such a pretty harmless creature. So the woodman raised his axe, and as
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  the wild cat ran by, he gave it a quick blow that cut the
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  beast's head clean off from its body, and it rolled over at his feet
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  in two pieces. The field mouse, now that it was freed from its
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  enemy stopped short and coming slowly up to the woodman. It said, in
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  a squeaky little voice, Oh, thank you, thank you ever so much
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  for saving my life. Don't speak of it, I beg you, replied
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  the woodman. I have no heart, you know, so I am careful
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  to help all those who may need a friend, even if it happens to
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  be only a mouse. Only a mouse, cried the little animal, indignantly.
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  Why I am a queen, the queen of all field mice. Oh
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  indeed, said the woodman, making a bow. Therefore, you have done
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  a great deed, as well as a brave one, in saving my life,
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  added the queen. At that moment, several mice were seen running up
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  as fast as their little legs could carry them, And when they saw their
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  queen, they exclaimed, oh, your majesty, we thought you would be
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  killed. How did you manage to escape the great wildcat? They all bowed
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  so low to the little queen that they almost stood upon their heads. This
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  funny tin man, she answered, killed the wild cat and saved my life.
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  So hereafter you must all serve him and obey his slightest wish. We
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  will, cried all the mice in a shrill chorus, and then they scampered
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  in all directions. For Toto had awakened from his sleep, and seeing all
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  these mice around him, gave him one bark of delight and jumped right into
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  the middle of the group. Toto had always loved to chase mice when he
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  lived in Kansas, and he saw no harm in it. But the tin
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  woodman caught the dog in his arms and held him tight while he called to
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  the mice, come back, come back, Toto shall not hurt you.
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  At this, the queen of the mice stuck her head out from underneath a
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  clump of grass and asked, in a timid voice, are you sure he
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  will not bite us? I will not let him, said the woodman,
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  So do not be afraid. One by one the mice came creeping back,
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  and Toto did not bark again, although he tried to get out of the
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  woodman's arms and would have bitten him had he not known very well he was
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  made of ten. Finally, one of the biggest mice spoke, is there
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  anything we can do? It, asked to repay you for saving the life
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  of our queen. Nothing that I know of, answered the woodman. But
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  the scarecrow, who had been trying to think but could not because his head
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  was stuffed with straw, said quickly, Oh, yes, you can save
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  our friend, the cowardly lion, who is asleep in the poppy bed.
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  A lion, cried the little queen. Why he would eat us all up?
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  Oh no, declared the scarecrow. This lion is a coward, really,
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  asked the mouse. He says so himself, answered the scarecrow, And
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  he would never hurt anyone who is our friend. If you will help us
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  to save him, I promise he shall treat you with all kindness. Very
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  well, said the queen. We trust you, But what shall we do.
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  Are there many of these mice which call you queen and are willing to
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  obey you? Oh? Yes, there are thousand, she replied. Then
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  send for them all to come here as soon as possible, and let each
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  one bring a long piece of string. The queen turned to the mice that
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  attended her and told them to go at once and get all her people.
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  As soon as they heard her orders, they ran away in every direction as
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  fast as possible. Now, said the scarecrow to the tin woodman, you
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  must go to those trees by the river side and make a truck that will
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  carry the lion. So the woodman went at once to the trees and began
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  to work, And he soon made a truck out of the limbs of trees,
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  from which he chopped away all the leaves and branches. He fastened it
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  together with wooden pegs, and made the four wheels out of short pieces of
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  a big tree trunk. So fast and so well did he work that by
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  the time the mice began to arrive, the truck was all ready for them.
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  They came from all directions, and there were thousands of them, big
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  mice and little mice, and middle sized mice, and each one brought a
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  piece of string in his mouth. It was about this time that Dorothy woke
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  from her long sleep and opened her eyes. She was greatly astonished to find
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  herself lying upon the grass, with thousands of mice standing around and looking at
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  her timidly. But the scarecrow told her about everything, and turning to the
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  dignified little mouse, he said, permit me to introduce you to her majesty
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  the Queen. Dorothy nodded gravely, and the queen made a curtsey, after
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  which she became quite friendly with the little girl. The scarecrow and the woodman
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  now began to fasten the mice to the truck using the strings they had brought.
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  One end of a string was tied around the neck of each mouse,
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  and the other end to the truck. Of course, the truck was a
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  thousand times bigger than any of the mice who were to draw it, but
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  when all the mice had been harnessed, they were able to pull it quite
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  easily. Even the scarecrow and the tin woodman could sit on it, and
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  were drawn swiftly by their queer little horses to the place where the lion lay
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  asleep. After a great deal of hard work, for the lion was heavy,
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  they managed to get him up on the truck. Then the queen hurriedly
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  gave her people the order to start, for she feared if the mice stayed
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  among the poppies too long, they also would fall asleep. At first,
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  the little creatures, many though they were, could hardly stir the heavily loaded
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  truck. But the woodman and the scarecrow both pushed from behind, and they
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  got along better. Soon they rolled the lion out of the poppy bed to
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  the green fields, where they could breathe the sweet fresh air again instead of
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  the poisonous scent of the flowers. Dorothy came to meet them and thanked the
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  little mice warmly for saving her companion from death. She had grown so fond
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  of the big lion, she was glad he had been rescued. Then the
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  mice were unharnessed from the truck and scampered away through the grass to their homes.
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  The queen of the mice was the last to leave. If you ever
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  need us again, she said, come out into the field and call,
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  and we shall hear you and come to your assistance. Goodbye, goodbye,
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  they all answered, and away the queen ran, while Dorothy held Toto tightly
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  lest he should run after her and frighten her. After this, they sat
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  down beside the lion until he should awaken, and the scarecrow brought Dorothy some
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  fruit from a tree near by, which she ate for her dinner. The
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  end of chapter nine