_How_ THE WIZARD PRACTICED SORCERY
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Where next?" asked the Wizard, when they had left the town ofFuddlecumjig and the Sawhorse had started back along the road.
"Why, Ozma laid out this trip," replied Dorothy, "and she 'vised us tosee the Rigmaroles next, and then visit the Tin Woodman."
"That sounds good," said the Wizard. "But what road do we take to get tothe Rigmaroles?"
"I don't know, 'zactly," returned the little girl; "but it must besomewhere just southwest from here."
"Then why need we go way back to the crossroads?" asked the Shaggy Man."We might save a lot of time by branching off here."
"There isn't any path," asserted Uncle Henry.
"Then we'd better go back to the signposts, and make sure of our way,"decided Dorothy.
But after they had gone a short distance farther the Sawhorse, who hadoverheard their conversation, stopped and said:
"Here is a path."
Sure enough, a dim path seemed to branch off from the road they were on,and it led across pretty green meadows and past leafy groves, straighttoward the southwest.
"That looks like a good path," said Omby Amby. "Why not try it?"
"All right," answered Dorothy. "I'm anxious to see what the Rigmarolesare like, and this path ought to take us there the quickest way."
No one made any objection to the plan, so the Sawhorse turned into thepath, which proved to be nearly as good as the one they had taken to getto the Fuddles.
At first they passed a few retired farm houses, but soon these scattereddwellings were left behind and only the meadows and the trees werebefore them. But they rode along in cheerful contentment, and Aunt Emgot into an argument with Billina about the proper way to raisechickens.
"I do not care to contradict you," said the Yellow Hen, with dignity,"but I have an idea I know more about chickens than human beings do."
"Pshaw!" replied Aunt Em, "I've raised chickens for nearly forty years,Billina, and I know you've got to starve 'em to make 'em lay lots ofeggs, and stuff 'em if you want good broilers."
"Broilers!" exclaimed Billina, in horror. "Broil my chickens!"
"Why, that's what they're for, ain't it?" asked Aunt Em, astonished.
"No, Aunt, not in Oz," said Dorothy. "People do not eat chickens here.You see, Billina was the first hen that was ever seen in this country,and I brought her here myself. Everybody liked her an' respected her, sothe Oz people wouldn't any more eat her chickens than they would eatBillina."
"Well, I declare," gasped Aunt Em. "How about the eggs?"
"Oh, if we have more eggs than we want to hatch, we allow people to eatthem," said Billina. "Indeed, I am very glad the Oz folks like our eggs,for otherwise they would spoil."
"This certainly is a queer country," sighed Aunt Em.
"Excuse me," called the Sawhorse, "the path has ended and I'd like toknow which way to go."
They looked around and, sure enough, there was no path to be seen.
"Well," said Dorothy, "we're going southwest, and it seems just as easyto follow that direction without a path as with one."
"Certainly," answered the Sawhorse. "It is not hard to draw the wagonover the meadow. I only want to know where to go."
"There's a forest over there across the prairie," said the Wizard, "andit lies in the direction we are going. Make straight for the forest,Sawhorse, and you're bound to go right."
So the wooden animal trotted on again and the meadow grass was so softunder the wheels that it made easy riding. But Dorothy was a littleuneasy at losing the path, because now there was nothing to guide them.
No houses were to be seen at all, so they could not ask their way of anyfarmer; and although the Land of Oz was always beautiful, wherever onemight go, this part of the country was strange to all the party.
"Perhaps we're lost," suggested Aunt Em, after they had proceeded quitea way in silence.
"Never mind," said the Shaggy Man; "I've been lost many a time--and sohas Dorothy--and we've always been found again."
"But we may get hungry," remarked Omby Amby. "That is the worst ofgetting lost in a place where there are no houses near."
"We had a good dinner at the Fuddle town," said Uncle Henry, "and thatwill keep us from starving to death for a long time."
"No one ever starved to death in Oz," declared Dorothy, positively; "butpeople may get pretty hungry sometimes."
The Wizard said nothing, and he did not seem especially anxious. TheSawhorse was trotting along briskly, yet the forest seemed farther awaythan they had thought when they first saw it. So it was nearly sundownwhen they finally came to the trees; but now they found themselves in amost beautiful spot, the wide-spreading trees being covered withflowering vines and having soft mosses underneath them.
"This will be a good place to camp," said the Wizard, as the Sawhorsestopped for further instructions.
"Camp!" they all echoed.
"Certainly," asserted the Wizard. "It will be dark before very long andwe cannot travel through this forest at night. So let us make a camphere, and have some supper, and sleep until daylight comes again."
They all looked at the little man in astonishment, and Aunt Em said,with a sniff:
"A pretty camp we'll have, I must say! I suppose you intend us to sleepunder the wagon."
"And chew grass for our supper," added the Shaggy Man, laughing.
But Dorothy seemed to have no doubts and was quite cheerful.
"It's lucky we have the wonderful Wizard with us," she said; "because hecan do 'most anything he wants to."
"Oh, yes; I forgot we had a Wizard," said Uncle Henry, looking at thelittle man curiously.
"I didn't," chirped Billina, contentedly.
The Wizard smiled and climbed out of the wagon, and all the othersfollowed him.
"In order to camp," said he, "the first thing we need is tents. Willsome one please lend me a handkerchief?"
The Shaggy Man offered him one, and Aunt Em another. He took them bothand laid them carefully upon the grass near to the edge of the forest.Then he laid his own handkerchief down, too, and standing a little backfrom them he waved his left hand toward the handkerchiefs and said:
"Tents of canvas, white as snow, Let me see how fast you grow!"
Then, lo and behold! the handkerchiefs became tiny tents, and as thetravelers looked at them the tents grew bigger and bigger until in a fewminutes each one was large enough to contain the entire party.
"This," said the Wizard, pointing to the first tent, "is for theaccommodation of the ladies. Dorothy, you and your Aunt may step insideand take off your things."
Every one ran to look inside the tent, and they saw two pretty whitebeds, all ready for Dorothy and Aunt Em, and a silver roost for Billina.Rugs were spread upon the grassy floor and some camp chairs and a tablecompleted the furniture.
"Well, well, well! This beats anything I ever saw or heard of!"exclaimed Aunt Em, and she glanced at the Wizard almost fearfully, as ifhe might be dangerous because of his great powers.
"Oh, Mr. Wizard! How did you manage to do it?" asked Dorothy.
"It's a trick Glinda the Sorceress taught me, and it is much bettermagic than I used to practise in Omaha, or when I first came to Oz," heanswered. "When the Good Glinda found I was to live in the Emerald Cityalways, she promised to help me, because she said the Wizard of Oz oughtreally to be a clever Wizard, and not a humbug. So we have been muchtogether and I am learning so fast that I expect to be able toaccomplish some really wonderful things in time."
"You've done it now!" declared Dorothy. "These tents are justwonderful!"
"But come and see the men's tent," said the Wizard. So they went to thesecond tent, which had shaggy edges because it had been made from theShaggy Man's handkerchief, and found that completely furnished also. Itcontained four neat beds for Uncle Henry, Omby Amby, the Shaggy Man andthe Wizard. Also there was a soft rug for Toto to lie upon.
"The third tent," ex
plained the Wizard, "is our dining room andkitchen."
They visited that next, and found a table and dishes in the dining tent,with plenty of those things necessary to use in cooking. The Wizardcarried out a big kettle and set it swinging on a crossbar before thetent. While he was doing this Omby Amby and the Shaggy Man brought asupply of twigs from the forest and then they built a fire underneaththe kettle.
"Now, Dorothy," said the Wizard, smiling, "I expect you to cook oursupper."
"But there is nothing in the kettle," she cried.
"Are you sure?" inquired the Wizard.
"I didn't see anything put in, and I'm almost sure it was empty when youbrought it out," she replied.
"Nevertheless," said the little man, winking slyly at Uncle Henry, "youwill do well to watch our supper, my dear, and see that it doesn't boilover."
Then the men took some pails and went into the forest to search for aspring of water, and while they were gone Aunt Em said to Dorothy:
"I believe the Wizard is fooling us. I saw the kettle myself, and whenhe hung it over the fire there wasn't a thing in it but air."
"Don't worry," remarked Billina, confidently, as she nestled in thegrass before the fire. "You'll find something in the kettle when it'staken off--and it won't be poor, innocent chickens, either."
"Your hen has very bad manners, Dorothy," said Aunt Em, looking somewhatdisdainfully at Billina. "It seems too bad she ever learned how totalk."
There might have been another unpleasant quarrel between Aunt Em andBillina had not the men returned just then with their pails filled withclear, sparkling water. The Wizard told Dorothy that she was a good cookand he believed their supper was ready.
So Uncle Henry lifted the kettle from the fire and poured its contentsinto a big platter which the Wizard held for him. The platter was fairlyheaped with a fine stew, smoking hot, with many kinds of vegetables anddumplings and a rich, delicious gravy.
The Wizard triumphantly placed the platter upon the table in the diningtent and then they all sat down in camp chairs to the feast.
There were several other dishes on the table, all carefully covered, andwhen the time came to remove these covers they found bread and butter,cakes, cheese, pickles and fruits--including some of the lusciousstrawberries of Oz.
No one ventured to ask a question as to how these things came there.They contented themselves by eating heartily the good things provided,and Toto and Billina had their full share, you may be sure. After themeal was over Aunt Em whispered to Dorothy:
"That may have been magic food, my dear, and for that reason perhaps itwon't be very nourishing; but I'm willing to say it tasted as good asanything I ever et." Then she added, in a louder tone: "Who's going todo the dishes?"
"No one, madam," answered the Wizard. "The dishes have 'done'themselves."
"La sakes!" ejaculated the good lady, holding up her hands in amazement.For, sure enough, when she looked at the dishes they had a moment beforeleft upon the table, she found them all washed and dried and piled upinto neat stacks.
The Emerald City of Oz Page 15