Chapter IX.
The Queen of the Field Mice.
"We cannot be far from the road of yellow brick, now," remarked theScarecrow, as he stood beside the girl, "for we have come nearly asfar as the river carried us away."
The Tin Woodman was about to reply when he heard a low growl, andturning his head (which worked beautifully on hinges) he saw astrange beast come bounding over the grass towards them. It was,indeed, a great, yellow wildcat, and the Woodman thought it must bechasing something, for its ears were lying close to its head and itsmouth was wide open, showing two rows of ugly teeth, while its redeyes glowed like balls of fire. As it came nearer the Tin Woodmansaw that running before the beast was a little gray field-mouse, andalthough he had no heart he knew it was wrong for the wildcat to tryto kill such a pretty, harmless creature.
So the Woodman raised his axe, and as the wildcat ran by he gave it aquick blow that cut the beast's head clean off from its body, and itrolled over at his feet in two pieces.
The field-mouse, now that it was freed from its enemy, stopped short;and coming slowly up to the Woodman it said, in a squeaky little voice,
"Oh, thank you! Thank you ever so much for saving my life."
"Don't speak of it, I beg of you," replied the Woodman. "I have noheart, you know, so I am careful to help all those who may need afriend, even if it happens to be only a mouse."
"Only a mouse!" cried the little animal, indignantly; "why, I am aQueen--the Queen of all the field-mice!"
"Oh, indeed," said the Woodman, making a bow.
"Therefore you have done a great deed, as well as a brave one, insaving my life," added the Queen.
At that moment several mice were seen running up as fast as theirlittle legs could carry them, and when they saw their Queen theyexclaimed,
"_Permit me to introduce to you her Majesty, theQueen._"]
"Oh, your Majesty, we thought you would be killed! How did you manageto escape the great Wildcat?" and they all bowed so low to thelittle Queen that they almost stood upon their heads.
"This funny tin man," she answered, "killed the Wildcat and saved mylife. So hereafter you must all serve him, and obey his slightest wish."
"We will!" cried all the mice, in a shrill chorus. And then theyscampered in all directions, for Toto had awakened from his sleep,and seeing all these mice around him he gave one bark of delight andjumped right into the middle of the group. Toto had always loved tochase mice when he lived in Kansas, and he saw no harm in it.
But the Tin Woodman caught the dog in his arms and held him tight,while he called to the mice: "Come back! come back! Toto shall nothurt you."
At this the Queen of the Mice stuck her head out from a clump ofgrass and asked, in a timid voice,
"Are you sure he will not bite us?"
"I will not let him," said the Woodman; "so do not be afraid."
One by one the mice came creeping back, and Toto did not bark again,although he tried to get out of the Woodman's arms, and would havebitten him had he not known very well he was made of tin. Finally oneof the biggest mice spoke.
"Is there anything we can do," it asked, "to repay you for saving thelife of our Queen?"
"Nothing that I know of," answered the Woodman; but the Scarecrow,who had been trying to think, but could not because his head wasstuffed with straw, said, quickly,
"Oh, yes; you can save our friend, the Cowardly Lion, who is asleepin the poppy bed."
"A Lion!" cried the little Queen; "why, he would eat us all up."
"Oh, no;" declared the Scarecrow; "this Lion is a coward."
"Really?" asked the Mouse.
"He says so himself," answered the Scarecrow, "and he would neverhurt anyone who is our friend. If you will help us to save him Ipromise that he shall treat you all with kindness."
"Very well," said the Queen, "we will trust you. But what shall we do?"
"Are there many of these mice which call you Queen and are willing toobey you?"
"Oh, yes; there are thousands," she replied.
"Then send for them all to come here as soon as possible, and leteach one bring a long piece of string."
The Queen turned to the mice that attended her and told them to go atonce and get all her people. As soon as they heard her orders theyran away in every direction as fast as possible.
"Now," said the Scarecrow to the Tin Woodman, "you must go to thosetrees by the river-side and make a truck that will carry the Lion."
So the Woodman went at once to the trees and began to work; and hesoon made a truck out of the limbs of trees, from which he choppedaway all the leaves and branches. He fastened it together withwooden pegs and made the four wheels out of short pieces of a bigtree-trunk. So fast and so well did he work that by the time the micebegan to arrive the truck was all ready for them.
They came from all directions, and there were thousands of them: bigmice and little mice and middle-sized mice; and each one brought apiece of string in his mouth. It was about this time that Dorothy wokefrom her long sleep and opened her eyes. She was greatly astonishedto find herself lying upon the grass, with thousands of mice standingaround and looking at her timidly. But the Scarecrow told her abouteverything, and turning to the dignified little Mouse, he said,
"Permit me to introduce to you her Majesty, the Queen."
Dorothy nodded gravely and the Queen made a courtesy, after which shebecame quite friendly with the little girl.
The Scarecrow and the Woodman now began to fasten the mice to thetruck, using the strings they had brought. One end of a string wastied around the neck of each mouse and the other end to the truck.Of course the truck was a thousand times bigger than any of the micewho were to draw it; but when all the mice had been harnessed theywere able to pull it quite easily. Even the Scarecrow and the TinWoodman could sit on it, and were drawn swiftly by their queer littlehorses to the place where the Lion lay asleep.
After a great deal of hard work, for the Lion was heavy, they managedto get him up on the truck. Then the Queen hurriedly gave her peoplethe order to start, for she feared if the mice stayed among thepoppies too long they also would fall asleep.
At first the little creatures, many though they were, could hardly stirthe heavily loaded truck; but the Woodman and the Scarecrow both pushedfrom behind, and they got along better. Soon they rolled the Lion outof the poppy bed to the green fields, where he could breathe the sweet,fresh air again, instead of the poisonous scent of the flowers.
Dorothy came to meet them and thanked the little mice warmly forsaving her companion from death. She had grown so fond of the bigLion she was glad he had been rescued.
Then the mice were unharnessed from the truck and scampered awaythrough the grass to their homes. The Queen of the Mice was the lastto leave.
"If ever you need us again," she said, "come out into the field andcall, and we shall hear you and come to your assistance. Good bye!"
"Good bye!" they all answered, and away the Queen ran, while Dorothyheld Toto tightly lest he should run after her and frighten her.
After this they sat down beside the Lion until he should awaken; andthe Scarecrow brought Dorothy some fruit from a tree near by, whichshe ate for her dinner.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Page 9