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12 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum · Adventure Books Collection

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Chapter twelve, the search for the Wicked Witch. The soldier with the green
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whiskers led them through the streets of the Emerald City until they reached the room
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where the Guardian of the Gates lived. This officer unlocked their spectacles to put
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them back in his great box, and then he politely opened the gate for
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our friends. Which road leads to the wicked Witch of the west, asked
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Dorothy. There is no road, answered the Guardian of the Gates. No
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one ever wishes to go that way. How then, are we to find
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her, inquired the girl. That will be easy, replied the man,
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for when she knows you are in the country of the winkies, she will
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find you and make you all her slaves. Perhaps not, said the scarecrow,
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for we mean to destroy her. Oh that is different, said the
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Guardian of the Gates. No one has ever destroyed her before, So naturally
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I thought she would make slaves of you, as she has of the rest.
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But take care, for she is wicked and fierce and may not allow
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you to destroy her. Keep to the west where the sun sets, and
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you cannot fail to find her. They thanked him and bade him goodbye,
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and turned toward the west, walking over fields of soft grass dotted here and
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there with daisies and buttercups. Dorothy still wore the pretty silk dress she had
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put on in the palace, but now to her surprise, she found it
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was no longer green, but pure white. Ribbon around Toto's neck had also
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lost its green color and was as white as Dorothy's dress. The Emerald city
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was soon left far behind. As they advanced, the ground became rougher and
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hillier, for there was no farms nor houses in this country of the West,
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and the ground was untilled. In the afternoon, the sun shone hot
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in their faces, for there were no trees to offer them shade, so
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that before night Dorothy and Toto and the lion were tired and lay down upon
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the grass and fell asleep, with the woodman and the scarecrow keeping watch.
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Now, the wicked Witch of the West had but one eye, yet that
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was as powerful as a telescope, and she could see everywhere. So as
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she sat in the door of her castle, she happened to look around and
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saw Dorothy lying asleep with her friends all about. They were a long distance
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off, but the wicked Witch was angry to find them in her country.
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So she blew upon a silver whistle that hung around her neck. At once
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there came running to her from all directions a pack of great wolves. They
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had long legs and fierce eyes and sharp teeth. Go to those people,
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said the witch, and tear them to pieces. Are you not going to
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make them your slaves, asked the leader of the wolves, No, she
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answered, One is of tin and one of straw, One is a girl,
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and another a lion. None of them is fit to work, so
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you may tear them into small pieces. Very well, said the wolf,
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and he dashed away full speed, followed by the others. It was lucky.
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The scarecrow and the woodman were wide awake and heard the wolves coming.
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This is my fight, said the woodman, So get behind me and I
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will meet them as they come. He seized his axe, which he had
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made very sharp, and as the leader of the wolves came on, the
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tin Woodman swung his arm and chopped the wolf's head from its body, so
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that it immediately died. As soon as he could raise his axe, another
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wolf came up, and he also fell under the sharp edge of the tin
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Woodman's weapon. There were forty wolves and forty times a wolf was killed,
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so that at last they all lay dead in a heap before the woodman.
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He put down his axe and sat beside the scarecrow, who said it was
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a good fight. Friend. They waited until Dorothea woke the next morning.
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The little girl was quite frightened when she saw the great pile of shaggy wolves,
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but the tin woodman told her all. She thanked him for saving them,
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and sat down to breakfast, after which they started again upon their journey.
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Now, this same morning, the wicked witch came to the door of
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her castle and looked out with her one eye that could see far off.
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She saw all her wolves lying dead, and the strangers still traveling through her
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country. This made her angrier than before, and she blew her silver whistle
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twice straightway. A great flock of wild crows came flying toward her, enough
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to darken the sky, and the wicked Witch said to the king crow,
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fly at once to the strangers, peck out their eyes, and tear them
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to pieces. The wild crows flew in one great flock toward Dorothy and her
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companions. When the little girl saw them coming, she was afraid, but
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the scarecrow said, this is my battle, so lie down beside me,
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and you will not be harmed. So they all lay upon the ground except
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the scarecrow, and he stood up and stretched out his arms. And when
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the crows saw him, they were frightened, as these birds always by scarecrows,
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and did not dare to come any nearer. But the king crow said,
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it is only a stuffed man. I will peck his eyes out.
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The king crow flew at the scarecrow, who caught it by the head and
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twisted its neck until it died. And then another crow flew at him,
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and the scarecrow twisted its neck. Also. There were forty crows, and
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forty times the scarecrow twisted a neck, until at last all were lying dead
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beside him. Then he called to his companions to rise, and again they
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went upon their journey. When the wicked witch looked out again and saw all
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her crows lying in a heap, she got into a terrible rage and blew
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three times upon her silver whistle. Forthwith, there was heard a great buzzing
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in the air, and a swarm of black bees came flying toward her,
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go to the strangers and sting them to death, commanded the witch, and
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the bees turned and flew rapidly until they came to wear. Dorothy and her
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friends were walking, but the woodman had seen them coming, and the scarecrow
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had decided what to do. Take out my straw and scatter it over the
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little girl and the dog and the lion, he said to the woodman,
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and the bees cannot sting them. This the woodman did, and as Dorothy
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lay close beside the lion and held Toto in her arms, the straw covered
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them entirely. The bees came and found no one but the woodman to sting,
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so they flew at him and broke off all their stings against the tin,
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without hurting the woodman at all. And as bees cannot live when their
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stings are broken, that was the end of the black bees, and they
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lay scattered thick about the woodman, like little heaps of fine coal. Then
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Dorothy and the lion got up, and the girl helped the tin woodman put
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the straw back into the scarecrow again until he was as good as ever,
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so they started upon their journey once more. The wicked witch was so angry
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when she saw her black bees in little heaps like fine coal that she stamped
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her foot and tore her hair and gnashed her teeth. And then she called
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a dozen of her slaves, who were the winkies, and gave them sharp
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spears, telling them to go to the strangers and destroy them. The winkies
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were not a brave people, but they had to do as they were told,
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so they marched away until they came near to Dorothy. Then the lion
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gave a great roar and sprang towards them, and the poor winkies were so
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frightened that they ran back as fast as they could. When they returned to
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the castle, the wicked witch beat them well with a strap and sent them
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back to their work, after which she sat down to think what she would
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do next. She could not understand how all her plans to destroy these strangers
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had failed, but she was a powerful witch as well as a wicked one,
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and she soon made up her mind how to act. There was in
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her cupboard a golden cap with a circle of diamonds and rubies running round it.
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This golden cap had a charm. Whoever owned it could call three times
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upon the wind monkeys, who would obey any order they were given. But
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no person could command these strange creatures more than three times. Twice already,
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the wicked Witch had used the charm of the cap. Once was when she
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had made the Winkies her slaves and set herself to rule over their country.
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The winged monkeys had helped her do this. The second time was when she
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had fought against the Great Oz himself and had driven him out of the land
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of the west. The winged monkeys had also helped her in doing this.
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Only once more could she use this golden cap, for which reason she did
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not like to do so until all her other powers were exhausted. But now
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that her fierce wolves and her wild crows and her stinging bees were gone,
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and her slaves had been scared away by the cowardly lion, she saw that
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there was only one way left to destroy Dorothy and her friends. So the
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wicked Witch took the golden cap from her cupboard and placed it upon her head.
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Then she stood upon her left foot and said slowly Epi peppi khaki.
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Then she stood upon her right foot and said hillo hello Hello. After this
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she stood upon both feet and cried in a loud voice, zizzi zuzi,
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zick Now the charm began to work. The sky was darkened, and a
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low rumbling sound was heard in the air. There was a rushing of many
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wings, a great chattering and laughing, and the sun came out of the
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dark sky to show the wicked Witch surrounded by a crowd of monkeys, each
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with a pair of immense and powerful wings on its shoulders. One much bigger
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than the others, seemed to be their leader. He flew close to the
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witch and said, you have called us for the third and last time.
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What do you command? Go to the strangers who are within my land and
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destroy them all except the lion, said the wicked Witch. Bring that beast
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to me, for I have a mind to harness him like a horse and
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make him work. Your command shall be obeyed, said the leader. Then,
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with a great deal of chattering and noise, the winged monkeys flew away
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to the place where Dorothy and her friends were walking. Some of the monkeys
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seized the tin woodman and carried him through the air until they were over a
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country thickly covered with sharp rocks. Here they dropped the poor woodman, who
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fell a great distance to the rocks, where he lay so battered and dented
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that he could neither move nor groan. Others of the monkeys caught the scarecrow,
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and with their long fingers pulled all of the straw out of his clothes
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and head. They made his hat and boots and closed into a small bundle
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and threw it on to the top branches of a tall tree. The remaining
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monkeys threw pieces of stout rope around the lion and wound many coils around his
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body and head and legs until he was unable to bite or scratch or struggle
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in it anyway. Then they lifted him up and flew away with him to
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the witch's castle, where he was placed in a small yard with a high
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iron fence around it so that he could not escape. But Dorothy they did
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not harm at all. She stood with Toto in her arms, watching the
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sad fate of her comrades, and thinking it would soon be her turn.
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The leader of the winged monkeys flew up to her, his long, hairy
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arms stretched out and his ugly face grinning terribly. But he saw the mark
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of the good Witch's kiss upon her forehead and stopped short, motioning to the
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others not to touch her. We dare not harm this little girl, he
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said to them, for she is protected by the power of good, and
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that is greater than the power of evil. All we can do is to
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carry her to the castle of the Wicked Witch and leave her there. So
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carefully and gently they lifted Dorothy in their arms and carried her swiftly through the
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air until they came to the castle, where they set her down upon the
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front doorstep. Then the leader said to the witch, we have obeyed you
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as far as we were able. The tin woodman and the scarecrow are destroyed,
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and the lion is tied up in your yard. The little girl we
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dare not harm, nor the dog she carries in her arms. Your power
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over our band is now ended, and you will never see us again.
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Then all the winged monkeys, with much laughing and chattering and noise, flew
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into the air and were soon out of sight. The wicked Witch was both
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surprised and worried when she saw the mark on Dorothy's forehead, for she knew
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well that neither the winged monkeys nor she herself dare hurt the girl in any
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way. She looked down at Dorothy's feet, and seeing the silver shoes began
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to tremble with fear, for she knew that a powerful charm belonged to them.
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At first, the witch was tempted to run away from Dorothy, but
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she happened to look into the child's eyes and saw how simple the soul behind
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them was, and that the little girl did not know of the wonderful power
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the silver shoes gave her. So the wicked witch laughed to herself and thought,
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I can still make her my slave, for she does not know how
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to use her power. Then she said to Dorothy, harshly and severely,
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come with me, and see that you mind everything I tell you, for
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if you do not, I will make an end of you, as I
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did of the tin woodman and the scarecrow. Dorothy followed her through many of
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the beautiful rooms in her castle until they came to the kitchens, where the
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witch bade her clean the pots and kettles, and sweep the floor, and
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keep the fire fed with wood. Dorothy went to work meekly, with her
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mind made up to work as hard as she could, for she was glad
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the wicked Witch had decided not to kill her. With Dorothy hard at work,
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the witch thought she would go into the courtyard and harness the cowardly lion
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like a horse. It would amuse her. She was sure to make him
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draw her chariot whenever she wished to go to drive. But as she opened
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the gate, the lion gave a loud roar and bounded at her so fiercely
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that the witch was afraid and ran out and shut the gate again. If
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I cannot harness you, said the witch to the lion, speaking through the
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bars of the gate, I can starve you. You shall have nothing to
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eat until you do as I wish. So after that she took no food
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to the imprisoned lion, But every day she came to the gate at noon
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and asked, are you ready to be harnessed like a horse, And the
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lion would answer no. If you come in this yard, I will bite
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you. The reason the lion did not have to do is the witch wished,
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was that every night, while the woman was asleep, Dorothy carried him
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food from the cupboard. After he had eaten, he would lie down on
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his bed of straw, and Dorothy would lie down beside him and put her
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head in his soft, shaggy mane while they talked of their troubles and tried
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to plan some way to escape, but they could find no way to get
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out of the castle, for it was constantly guarded by the yellow Winkies,
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who the slaves of the wicked Witch and were too afraid of her not to
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do as she told them. The girl had to work hard during the day,
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and often the witch threatened to beat her with the same old umbrella she
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always carried in her hand, but in truth she did not dare to strike
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Dorothy because of the mark upon her forehead. The child did not know this
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and was full of fear for herself and Toto. Once the witch struck Toto
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a blow with her umbrella, and the brave little dog flew at her and
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bit her leg in return. The witch did not bleed where she was bitten,
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for she was so wicked that the blood in her had dried up many
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years before. Dorothy's life became very sad as she grew to understand that it
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would be harder than ever to get back to Kansas and aunt em again.
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Sometimes she would cry bitterly for hours, with Toto sitting at her feet and
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looking into her face, whining dismally to show how sorry he was for his
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little mistress. Toto did not really care whether he was in Kansas or the
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Land of Oz so long as Dorothy was with him. But he knew the
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little girl was unhappy, and that made him unhappy too. Now the wicked
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witch had a great longing to have for her own the silver shoes which the
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girl always wore. Her bees and her crows and her wolves were lying in
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heaps and drying up, and she had used up all the power of the
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golden cap. But if she could only get a hold of the silver shoes,
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they would give her more power than all the other things she had lost.
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She watched Dorothy carefully to see if she ever took off her shoes,
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thinking she might steal them. But the child was so proud of her pretty
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shoes that she never took them off, except at night when she took her
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bath. The witch was too much afraid of the dark to dare go into
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Dorothy's room at night to take the shoes, and her dread of water was
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greater than her fear of the dark, so she never came near when Dorothy
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was bathing. Indeed, the old witch never touched water, nor ever let
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water touch her in any way. But the wicked creature was very cunning,
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and she finally thought of a trick that would give her what she wanted.
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She placed a bar of iron in the middle of the kitchen floor, and
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then, by her magic arts, made the iron invisible to human eyes,
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so that when Dorothy walked across the floor, she stumbled over the bar,
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not being able to see it, and fell at full length. She was
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not much hurt, but in her fall one of the silver shoes came off,
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and before she could reach it, the witch had snatched it away and
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put it on her own skinny foot. The wicked woman was greatly pleased with
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the success of her trick, for as long as she had one of the
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shoes, she owned half the power of their charm, and Dorothy could not
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use it against her, even had she known how to do so. The
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little girl, seeing she had lost one of her pretty shoes, grew angry
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and said to the witch, give me back my shoe. I will not,
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retorted the witch, for it is now my shoe and not yours.
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You are a wicked creature, cried Dorothy. You have no right to take
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my shoe from me. I shall keep it just the same, said the
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witch, laughing at her, and someday I shall get the other one from
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you too. This made Dorothy so very angry that she picked up the bucket
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of water that stood near and dashed it over the witch, wetting her from
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head to foot. Instantly. The wicked woman gave a loud cry of fear,
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and then, as Dorothy looked at her in wonder, the witch began
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to shrink and fall away. See what you have done, she screamed.
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In a minute, I shall melt away. I'm very sorry, indeed,
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said Dorothy, who was truly frightened to see the witch actually melting away like
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brown sugar before her very eyes. Didn't you know water would be the end
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of me? Asked the witch in a wailing, despairing voice. Of course,
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not, answered Dorothy. How should I Well, in a few minutes,
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I shall be all melted, and you will have the castle to yourself.
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I have been wicked in my day, but I have never thought a
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little girl like you would ever be able to melt me. And in my
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wicked deeds, look out here I go. With these words, the witch
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fell down in a brown, melted, shapeless mass, and began to spread
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over the clean boards of the kitchen floor. Seeing that she had really melted
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away into nothing, Dorothy drew another bucket of water and threw it over the
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mess. She then swept it all out the door. After picking out the
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silver shoe, which was all that was left of the old woman, she
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cleaned and dried it with a cloth, and put it on her foot again.
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Then, being at last free to do as she chose, she ran
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out to the courtyard to tell the Lion that the wicked Witch of the West
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had come to an end, and that they were no longer prisoners in a
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strange land. End of chapter twelve.