CHAPTER 15
The Great Sorceress
Betsy and Trot, when they heard of the rescue expedition, begged theWizard to permit them to join it and he consented. The Glass Cat,overhearing the conversation, wanted to go also and to this theWizard made no objection.
This Glass Cat was one of the real curiosities of Oz. It had been madeand brought to life by a clever magician named Dr. Pipt, who was notnow permitted to work magic and was an ordinary citizen of the EmeraldCity. The cat was of transparent glass, through which one couldplainly see its ruby heart beating and its pink brains whirling aroundin the top of the head.
The Glass Cat's eyes were emeralds; its fluffy tail was of spun glassand very beautiful. The ruby heart, while pretty to look at, was hardand cold and the Glass Cat's disposition was not pleasant at alltimes. It scorned to catch mice, did not eat, and was extremely lazy.If you complimented the remarkable cat on her beauty, she would bevery friendly, for she loved admiration above everything. The pinkbrains were always working and their owner was indeed more intelligentthan most common cats.
Three other additions to the rescue party were made the next morning,just as they were setting out upon their journey. The first was alittle boy called Button Bright, because he had no other name thatanyone could remember. He was a fine, manly little fellow, wellmannered and good humored, who had only one bad fault. He wascontinually getting lost. To be sure, Button Bright got found as oftenas he got lost, but when he was missing his friends could not helpbeing anxious about him.
"Some day," predicted the Patchwork Girl, "he won't be found, and thatwill be the last of him." But that didn't worry Button Bright, who wasso careless that he did not seem to be able to break the habit ofgetting lost.
The second addition to the party was a Munchkin boy of about ButtonBright's age, named Ojo. He was often called "Ojo the Lucky," becausegood fortune followed him wherever he went. He and Button Bright wereclose friends, although of such different natures, and Trot and Betsywere fond of both.
The third and last to join the expedition was an enormous lion, one ofOzma's regular guardians and the most important and intelligent beastin all Oz. He called himself the Cowardly Lion, saying that everylittle danger scared him so badly that his heart thumped against hisribs, but all who knew him knew that the Cowardly Lion's fears werecoupled with bravery and that however much he might be frightened hesummoned courage to meet every danger he encountered. Often he hadsaved Dorothy and Ozma in times of peril, but afterward he moaned andtrembled and wept because he had been so scared.
"If Ozma needs help, I'm going to help her," said the great beast."Also, I suspect the rest of you may need me on the journey--especiallyTrot and Betsy--for you may pass through a dangerous part of thecountry. I know that wild Gillikin country pretty well. Its forestsharbor many ferocious beasts."
They were glad the Cowardly Lion was to join them, and in good spiritsthe entire party formed a procession and marched out of the EmeraldCity amid the shouts of the people, who wished them success and a safereturn with their beloved Ruler.
They followed a different route from that taken by Ozma and Dorothy,for they went through the Winkie Country and up north toward Oogaboo.But before they got there they swerved to the left and entered theGreat Gillikin Forest, the nearest thing to a wilderness in all Oz.Even the Cowardly Lion had to admit that certain parts of this forestwere unknown to him, although he had often wandered among the trees,and the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, who were great travelers, never hadbeen there at all.
The forest was only reached after a tedious tramp, for some of theRescue Expedition were quite awkward on their feet. The Patchwork Girlwas as light as a feather and very spry; the Tin Woodman covered theground as easily as Uncle Henry and the Wizard; but Tik-Tok movedslowly and the slightest obstruction in the road would halt him untilthe others cleared it away. Then, too, Tik-Tok's machinery keptrunning down, so Betsy and Trot took turns in winding it up.
The Scarecrow was more clumsy but less bother, for although he oftenstumbled and fell he could scramble up again and a little patting ofhis straw-stuffed body would put him in good shape again.
Another awkward one was Jack Pumpkinhead, for walking would jar hishead around on his neck and then he would be likely to go in the wrongdirection. But the Frogman took Jack's arm and then he followed thepath more easily.
Cap'n Bill's wooden leg didn't prevent him from keeping up with theothers and the old sailor could walk as far as any of them.
When they entered the forest the Cowardly lion took the lead. Therewas no path here for men, but many beasts had made paths of their ownwhich only the eyes of the lion, practiced in woodcraft, coulddiscern. So he stalked ahead and wound his way in and out, the othersfollowing in single file, Glinda being next to the Lion.
There are dangers in the forest, of course, but as the huge Lionheaded the party he kept the wild denizens of the wilderness frombothering the travelers. Once, to be sure, an enormous leopard sprangupon the Glass Cat and caught her in his powerful jaws, but he brokeseveral of his teeth and with howls of pain and dismay dropped hisprey and vanished among the trees.
"Are you hurt?" Trot anxiously inquired of the Glass Cat.
"How silly!" exclaimed the creature in an irritated tone of voice;"nothing can hurt glass, and I'm too solid to break easily. But I'mannoyed at that leopard's impudence. He has no respect for beauty orintelligence. If he had noticed my pink brains work, I'm sure he wouldhave realized I'm too important to be grabbed in a wild beast's jaws."
"Never mind," said Trot consolingly; "I'm sure he won't do it again."
They were almost in the center of the forest when Ojo, the Munchkinboy, suddenly said: "Why, where's Button Bright?"
They halted and looked around them. Button Bright was not with theparty.
"Dear me," remarked Betsy, "I expect he's lost again!"
"When did you see him last, Ojo?" inquired Glinda.
"It was some time ago," replied Ojo. "He was trailing along at the endand throwing twigs at the squirrels in the trees. Then I went to talkto Betsy and Trot, and just now I noticed he was gone."
"This is too bad," declared the Wizard, "for it is sure to delay ourjourney. We must find Button Bright before we go any farther, forthis forest is full of ferocious beasts that would not hesitate totear the boy to pieces."
"But what shall we do?" asked the Scarecrow. "If any of us leaves theparty to search for Button Bright he or she might fall a victim to thebeasts, and if the Lion leaves us we will have no protector.
"The Glass Cat could go," suggested the Frogman. "The beasts can doher no harm, as we have discovered."
The Wizard turned to Glinda.
"Cannot your sorcery discover where Button Bright is?" he asked.
"I think so," replied the Sorceress.
She called to Uncle Henry, who had been carrying her wicker box, tobring it to her, and when he obeyed she opened it and drew out a smallround mirror. On the surface of the glass she dusted a white powderand then wiped it away with her handkerchief and looked in the mirror.It reflected a part of the forest, and there, beneath a wide-spreadingtree, Button Bright was lying asleep. On one side of him crouched atiger, ready to spring; on the other side was a big gray wolf, itsbared fangs glistening in a wicked way.
"Goodness me!" cried Trot, looking over Glinda's shoulder. "They'llcatch and kill him sure."
Everyone crowded around for a glimpse at the magic mirror.
"Pretty bad--pretty bad!" said the Scarecrow sorrowfully.
"Comes of getting lost!" said Cap'n Bill, sighing.
"Guess he's a goner!" said the Frogman, wiping his eyes on his purplesilk handkerchief.
"But where is he? Can't we save him?" asked Ojo the Lucky.
"If we knew where he is we could probably save him," replied thelittle Wizard, "but that tree looks so much like all the other trees,that we can't tell whether it's far away or near by."
"Look at Glinda!" exclaimed Betsy.
G
linda, having handed the mirror to the Wizard, had stepped aside andwas making strange passes with her outstretched arms and reciting inlow, sweet tones a mystical incantation. Most of them watched theSorceress with anxious eyes, despair giving way to the hope that shemight be able to save their friend. The Wizard, however, watched thescene in the mirror, while over his shoulders peered Trot, theScarecrow and the Shaggy Man.
What they saw was more strange than Glinda's actions. The tigerstarted to spring on the sleeping boy, but suddenly lost its power tomove and lay flat upon the ground. The gray wolf seemed unable to liftits feet from the ground. It pulled first at one leg and then atanother, and finding itself strangely confined to the spot began tobark and snarl angrily. They couldn't hear the barkings and snarls,but they could see the creature's mouth open and its thick lips move.Button Bright, however, being but a few feet away from the wolf, heardits cries of rage, which wakened him from his untroubled sleep.
The boy sat up and looked first at the tiger and then at the wolf. Hisface showed that for a moment he was quite frightened, but he soon sawthat the beasts were unable to approach him and so he got upon hisfeet and examined them curiously, with a mischievous smile upon hisface. Then he deliberately kicked the tiger's head with his foot andcatching up a fallen branch of a tree he went to the wolf and gave ita good whacking. Both the beasts were furious at such treatment butcould not resent it.
Button Bright now threw down the stick and with his hands in hispockets wandered carelessly away.
"Now," said Glinda, "let the Glass Cat run and find him. He is in thatdirection," pointing the way, "but how far off I do not know. Makehaste and lead him back to us as quickly as you can."
The Glass Cat did not obey everyone's orders, but she really fearedthe great Sorceress, so as soon as the words were spoken the crystalanimal darted away and was quickly lost to sight.
The Wizard handed the mirror back to Glinda, for the woodland scenehad now faded from the glass. Then those who cared to rest sat down toawait Button Bright's coming. It was not long before he appearedthrough the trees and as he rejoined his friends he said in a peevishtone:
"Don't ever send that Glass Cat to find me again. She was veryimpolite and, if we didn't all know that she had no manners, I'd sayshe insulted me."
Glinda turned upon the boy sternly.
"You have caused all of us much anxiety and annoyance," said she."Only my magic saved you from destruction. I forbid you to get lostagain."
"Of course," he answered. "It won't be _my_ fault if I get lost again;but it wasn't my fault _this_ time."
Glinda of Oz Page 15