THEY MEET THE WOOZY
CHAP. NINE
"There seem to be very few houses around here, after all," remarked Ojo,after they had walked for a time in silence.
"Never mind," said Scraps; "we are not looking for houses, but ratherthe road of yellow bricks. Won't it be funny to run across somethingyellow in this dismal blue country?"
"There are worse colors than yellow in this country," asserted the GlassCat, in a spiteful tone.
"Oh; do you mean the pink pebbles you call your brains, and your redheart and green eyes?" asked the Patchwork Girl.
"No; I mean you, if you must know it," growled the cat.
"You're jealous!" laughed Scraps. "You'd give your whiskers for alovely variegated complexion like mine."
"I wouldn't!" retorted the cat. "I've the clearest complexion in theworld, and I don't employ a beauty-doctor, either."
"I see you don't," said Scraps.
"Please don't quarrel," begged Ojo. "This is an important journey, andquarreling makes me discouraged. To be brave, one must be cheerful, so Ihope you will be as good-tempered as possible."
They had traveled some distance when suddenly they faced a high fencewhich barred any further progress straight ahead. It ran directly acrossthe road and enclosed a small forest of tall trees, set close together.When the group of adventurers peered through the bars of the fence theythought this forest looked more gloomy and forbidding than any they hadever seen before.
They soon discovered that the path they had been following now made abend and passed around the enclosure, but what made Ojo stop and lookthoughtful was a sign painted on the fence which read:
"BEWARE OF THE WOOZY!"
"That means," he said, "that there's a Woozy inside that fence, and theWoozy must be a dangerous animal or they wouldn't tell people to bewareof it."
"Let's keep out, then," replied Scraps. "That path is outside the fence,and Mr. Woozy may have all his little forest to himself, for all wecare."
"But one of our errands is to find a Woozy," Ojo explained. "TheMagician wants me to get three hairs from the end of a Woozy's tail."
"Let's go on and find some other Woozy," suggested the cat. "This one isugly and dangerous, or they wouldn't cage him up. Maybe we shall findanother that is tame and gentle."
"Perhaps there isn't any other, at all," answered Ojo. "The sign doesn'tsay: 'Beware _a_ Woozy'; it says: 'Beware _the_ Woozy,' which may meanthere's only one in all the Land of Oz."
"Then," said Scraps, "suppose we go in and find him? Very likely if weask him politely to let us pull three hairs out of the tip of his tailhe won't hurt us."
"It would hurt _him_, I'm sure, and that would make him cross," said thecat.
"You needn't worry, Bungle," remarked the Patchwork Girl; "for if thereis danger you can climb a tree. Ojo and I are not afraid; are we, Ojo?"
"I am, a little," the boy admitted; "but this danger must be faced, ifwe intend to save poor Unc Nunkie. How shall we get over the fence?"
"Climb," answered Scraps, and at once she began climbing up the rows ofbars. Ojo followed and found it more easy than he had expected. Whenthey got to the top of the fence they began to get down on the otherside and soon were in the forest. The Glass Cat, being small, creptbetween the lower bars and joined them.
Here there was no path of any sort, so they entered the woods, the boyleading the way, and wandered through the trees until they were nearlyin the center of the forest. They now came upon a clear space in whichstood a rocky cave.
So far they had met no living creature, but when Ojo saw the cave heknew it must be the den of the Woozy.
It is hard to face any savage beast without a sinking of the heart, butstill more terrifying is it to face an unknown beast, which you havenever seen even a picture of. So there is little wonder that the pulsesof the Munchkin boy beat fast as he and his companions stood facing thecave. The opening was perfectly square, and about big enough to admit agoat.
"I guess the Woozy is asleep," said Scraps. "Shall I throw in a stone,to waken him?"
"No; please don't," answered Ojo, his voice trembling a little. "I'm inno hurry."
But he had not long to wait, for the Woozy heard the sound of voices andcame trotting out of his cave. As this is the only Woozy that has everlived, either in the Land of Oz or out of it, I must describe it to you.
The creature was all squares and flat surfaces and edges. Its head wasan exact square, like one of the building-blocks a child plays with;therefore it had no ears, but heard sounds through two openings in theupper corners. Its nose, being in the center of a square surface, wasflat, while the mouth was formed by the opening of the lower edge of theblock. The body of the Woozy was much larger than its head, but waslikewise block-shaped--being twice as long as it was wide and high. Thetail was square and stubby and perfectly straight, and the four legswere made in the same way, each being four-sided. The animal was coveredwith a thick, smooth skin and had no hair at all except at the extremeend of its tail, where there grew exactly three stiff, stubby hairs. Thebeast was dark blue in color and his face was not fierce nor ferociousin expression, but rather good-humored and droll.
Seeing the strangers, the Woozy folded his hind legs as if they had beenhinged and sat down to look his visitors over.
"Well, well," he exclaimed; "what a queer lot you are! At first Ithought some of those miserable Munchkin farmers had come to annoy me,but I am relieved to find you in their stead. It is plain to me that youare a remarkable group--as remarkable in your way as I am in mine--andso you are welcome to my domain. Nice place, isn't it? Butlonesome--dreadfully lonesome."
"Why did they shut you up here?" asked Scraps, who was regarding thequeer, square creature with much curiosity.
"Because I eat up all the honey-bees which the Munchkin farmers who livearound here keep to make them honey."
"Are you fond of eating honey-bees?" inquired the boy.
"Very. They are really delicious. But the farmers did not like to losetheir bees and so they tried to destroy me. Of course they couldn't dothat."
"Why not?"
"My skin is so thick and tough that nothing can get through it to hurtme. So, finding they could not destroy me, they drove me into thisforest and built a fence around me. Unkind, wasn't it?"
"But what do you eat now?" asked Ojo.
"Nothing at all. I've tried the leaves from the trees and the mosses andcreeping vines, but they don't seem to suit my taste. So, there being nohoney-bees here, I've eaten nothing for years."
"You must be awfully hungry," said the boy. "I've got some bread andcheese in my basket. Would you like that kind of food?"
"Give me a nibble and I will try it; then I can tell you better whetherit is grateful to my appetite," returned the Woozy.
So the boy opened his basket and broke a piece off the loaf of bread. Hetossed it toward the Woozy, who cleverly caught it in his mouth and ateit in a twinkling.
"That's rather good," declared the animal. "Any more?"
"Try some cheese," said Ojo, and threw down a piece.
The Woozy ate that, too, and smacked its long, thin lips.
"That's mighty good!" it exclaimed. "Any more?"
"Plenty," replied Ojo. So he sat down on a stump and fed the Woozy breadand cheese for a long time; for, no matter how much the boy broke off,the loaf and the slice remained just as big.
"That'll do," said the Woozy, at last; "I'm quite full. I hope thestrange food won't give me indigestion."
"I hope not," said Ojo. "It's what I eat."
"Well, I must say I'm much obliged, and I'm glad you came," announcedthe beast. "Is there anything I can do in return for your kindness?"
"Yes," said Ojo earnestly, "you have it in your power to do me a greatfavor, if you will."
"What is it?" asked the Woozy. "Name the favor and I will grant it."
"I--I want three hairs from the tip of your tail," said Ojo, with somehesitation.
"Three hairs! Why, that's all I hav
e--on my tail or anywhere else,"exclaimed the beast.
"I know; but I want them very much."
"They are my sole ornaments, my prettiest feature," said the Woozy,uneasily. "If I give up those three hairs I--I'm just a blockhead."
"Yet I must have them," insisted the boy, firmly, and he then told theWoozy all about the accident to Unc Nunkie and Margolotte, and how thethree hairs were to be a part of the magic charm that would restorethem to life. The beast listened with attention and when Ojo hadfinished the recital it said, with a sigh:
"I always keep my word, for I pride myself on being square. So you mayhave the three hairs, and welcome. I think, under such circumstances, itwould be selfish in me to refuse you."
"Thank you! Thank you very much," cried the boy, joyfully. "May I pullout the hairs now?"
"Any time you like," answered the Woozy.
So Ojo went up to the queer creature and taking hold of one of the hairsbegan to pull. He pulled harder. He pulled with all his might; but thehair remained fast.
"What's the trouble?" asked the Woozy, which Ojo had dragged here andthere all around the clearing in his endeavor to pull out the hair.
"It won't come," said the boy, panting.
"I was afraid of that," declared the beast. "You'll have to pullharder."
"I'll help you," exclaimed Scraps, coming to the boy's side. "You pullthe hair, and I'll pull you, and together we ought to get it outeasily."
"Wait a jiffy," called the Woozy, and then it went to a tree and huggedit with its front paws, so that its body couldn't be dragged around bythe pull. "All ready, now. Go ahead!"
Ojo grasped the hair with both hands and pulled with all his strength,while Scraps seized the boy around his waist and added her strength tohis. But the hair wouldn't budge. Instead, it slipped out of Ojo's handsand he and Scraps both rolled upon the ground in a heap and neverstopped until they bumped against the rocky cave.
"Give it up," advised the Glass Cat, as the boy arose and assisted thePatchwork Girl to her feet. "A dozen strong men couldn't pull out thosehairs. I believe they're clinched on the under side of the Woozy's thickskin."
"Then what shall I do?" asked the boy, despairingly. "If on our return Ifail to take these three hairs to the Crooked Magician, the other thingsI have come to seek will be of no use at all, and we cannot restore UncNunkie and Margolotte to life."
"They're goners, I guess," said the Patchwork Girl.
"Never mind," added the cat. "I can't see that old Unc and Margolotteare worth all this trouble, anyhow."
But Ojo did not feel that way. He was so disheartened that he sat downupon a stump and began to cry.
The Woozy looked at the boy thoughtfully.
"Why don't you take me with you?" asked the beast. "Then, when at lastyou get to the Magician's house, he can surely find some way to pull outthose three hairs."
Ojo was overjoyed at this suggestion.
"That's it!" he cried, wiping away the tears and springing to his feetwith a smile. "If I take the three hairs to the Magician, it won'tmatter if they are still in your body."
"It can't matter in the least," agreed the Woozy.
"Come on, then," said the boy, picking up his basket; "let us start atonce. I have several other things to find, you know."
But the Glass Cat gave a little laugh and inquired in her scornful way:
"How do you intend to get the beast out of this forest?"
That puzzled them all for a time.
"Let us go to the fence, and then we may find a way," suggested Scraps.So they walked through the forest to the fence, reaching it at a pointexactly opposite that where they had entered the enclosure.
"How did you get in?" asked the Woozy.
"We climbed over," answered Ojo.
"I can't do that," said the beast. "I'm a very swift runner, for I canovertake a honey-bee as it flies; and I can jump very high, which is thereason they made such a tall fence to keep me in. But I can't climb atall, and I'm too big to squeeze between the bars of the fence."
Ojo tried to think what to do.
"Can you dig?" he asked.
"No," answered the Woozy, "for I have no claws. My feet are quite flaton the bottom of them. Nor can I gnaw away the boards, as I have noteeth."
"You're not such a terrible creature, after all," remarked Scraps.
"You haven't heard me growl, or you wouldn't say that," declared theWoozy. "When I growl, the sound echoes like thunder all through thevalleys and woodlands, and children tremble with fear, and women covertheir heads with their aprons, and big men run and hide. I suppose thereis nothing in the world so terrible to listen to as the growl of aWoozy."
"Please don't growl, then," begged Ojo, earnestly.
"There is no danger of my growling, for I am not angry. Only when angrydo I utter my fearful, ear-splitting, soul-shuddering growl. Also, whenI am angry, my eyes flash fire, whether I growl or not."
"Real fire?" asked Ojo.
"Of course, real fire. Do you suppose they'd flash imitation fire?"inquired the Woozy, in an injured tone.
"In that case, I've solved the riddle," cried Scraps, dancing with glee."Those fence-boards are made of wood, and if the Woozy stands close tothe fence and lets his eyes flash fire, they might set fire to the fenceand burn it up. Then he could walk away with us easily, being free."
"Ah, I have never thought of that plan, or I would have been free longago," said the Woozy. "But I cannot flash fire from my eyes unless I amvery angry."
"Can't you get angry 'bout something, please?" asked Ojo.
"I'll try. You just say 'Krizzle-Kroo' to me."
"Will that make you angry?" inquired the boy.
"Terribly angry."
"What does it mean?" asked Scraps.
"I don't know; that's what makes me so angry," replied the Woozy.
He then stood close to the fence, with his head near one of the boards,and Scraps called out "Krizzle-Kroo!" Then Ojo said "Krizzle-Kroo!" andthe Glass Cat said "Krizzle-Kroo!" The Woozy began to tremble with angerand small sparks darted from his eyes. Seeing this, they all cried"Krizzle-Kroo!" together, and that made the beast's eyes flash fire sofiercely that the fence-board caught the sparks and began to smoke. Thenit burst into flame, and the Woozy stepped back and said triumphantly:
"Aha! That did the business, all right. It was a happy thought for youto yell all together, for that made me as angry as I have ever been.Fine sparks, weren't they?"
"Reg'lar fireworks," replied Scraps, admiringly.
In a few moments the board had burned to a distance of several feet,leaving an opening big enough for them all to pass through. Ojo brokesome branches from a tree and with them whipped the fire until it wasextinguished.
"We don't want to burn the whole fence down," said he, "for the flameswould attract the attention of the Munchkin farmers, who would then comeand capture the Woozy again. I guess they'll be rather surprised whenthey find he's escaped."
"So they will," declared the Woozy, chuckling gleefully. "When they findI'm gone the farmers will be badly scared, for they'll expect me to eatup their honey-bees, as I did before."
"That reminds me," said the boy, "that you must promise not to eathoney-bees while you are in our company."
"None at all?"
"Not a bee. You would get us all into trouble, and we can't afford tohave any more trouble than is necessary. I'll feed you all the bread andcheese you want, and that must satisfy you."
"All right; I'll promise," said the Woozy, cheerfully. "And when Ipromise anything you can depend on it, 'cause I'm square."
"I don't see what difference that makes," observed the Patchwork Girl,as they found the path and continued their journey. "The shape doesn'tmake a thing honest, does it?"
"Of course it does," returned the Woozy, very decidedly. "No one couldtrust that Crooked Magician, for instance, just because he _is_ crooked;but a square Woozy couldn't do anything crooked if he wanted to."
"I am neither square nor crooked,
" said Scraps, looking down at herplump body.
"No; you're round, so you're liable to do anything," asserted the Woozy."Do not blame me, Miss Gorgeous, if I regard you with suspicion. Many asatin ribbon has a cotton back."
Scraps didn't understand this, but she had an uneasy misgiving that shehad a cotton back herself. It would settle down, at times, and make hersquat and dumpy, and then she had to roll herself in the road until herbody stretched out again.
The Patchwork Girl of Oz Page 10