Magic Against Magic
CHAPTER 21
The Wizard's advice was good, so again they started in the direction ofthe low mountain on the crest of which the wicker castle had been built.They had been gradually advancing up hill, so now the elevation seemedto them more like a round knoll than a mountain-top. However, the sidesof the knoll were sloping and covered with green grass, so there was astiff climb before them yet.
Undaunted, they plodded on and had almost reached the knoll when theysuddenly observed that it was surrounded by a circle of flame. At firstthe flames barely rose above the ground, but presently they grew higherand higher until a circle of flaming tongues of fire taller than any oftheir heads quite surrounded the hill on which the wicker castle stood.When they approached the flames the heat was so intense that it drovethem back again.
"This will never do for me!" exclaimed the Patchwork Girl. "I catch firevery easily."
"It won't do for me, either," grumbled the Sawhorse, prancing to therear.
"I also object strongly to fire," said the Bear King, following theSawhorse to a safe distance and hugging the little Pink Bear with hispaws.
"I suppose the foolish Shoemaker imagines these blazes will stop us,"remarked the Wizard, with a smile of scorn for Ugu. "But I am able toinform you that this is merely a simple magic trick which the robberstole from Glinda the Good, and by good fortune I know how to destroythese flames, as well as how to produce them. Will some one of youkindly give me a match?"
You may be sure the girls carried no matches, nor did the Frogman orCayke or any of the animals. But Button-Bright, after searchingcarefully through his pockets, which contained all sorts of useful anduseless things, finally produced a match and handed it to the Wizard,who tied it to the end of a branch which he tore from a small treegrowing near them. Then the little Wizard carefully lighted the matchand running forward thrust it into the nearest flame. Instantly thecircle of fire began to die away and soon vanished completely, leavingthe way clear for them to proceed.
"That was funny!" laughed Button-Bright.
"Yes," agreed the Wizard, "it seems odd that a little match coulddestroy such a great circle of fire, but when Glinda invented this trickshe believed no one would ever think of a match being a remedy for fire.I suppose even Ugu doesn't know how we managed to quench the flames ofhis barrier, for only Glinda and I know the secret. Glinda's Book ofMagic, which Ugu stole, told how to make the flames, but not how to putthem out."
They now formed in marching order and proceeded to advance up the slopeof the hill; but had not gone far when before them rose a wall of steel,the surface of which was thickly covered with sharp, gleaming pointsresembling daggers. The wall completely surrounded the wicker castleand its sharp points prevented anyone from climbing it. Even thePatchwork Girl might be ripped to pieces if she dared attempt it.
"Ah!" exclaimed the Wizard cheerfully, "Ugu is now using one of my owntricks against me. But this is more serious than the Barrier of Fire,because the only way to destroy the wall is to get on the other side ofit."
"How can that be done?" asked Dorothy.
The Wizard looked thoughtfully around his little party and his face grewtroubled.
"It's a pretty high wall," he sadly remarked. "I'm pretty sure theCowardly Lion could not leap over it."
"I'm sure of that, too!" said the Lion with a shudder of fear. "If Ifoolishly tried such a leap I would be caught on those dreadful spikes."
"I think I could do it, sir," said the Frogman, with a bow to theWizard. "It is an up-hill jump, as well as being a high jump, but I'mconsidered something of a jumper by my friends in the Yip Country and Ibelieve a good strong leap will carry me to the other side."
"I'm sure it would," agreed the Cookie Cook.
"Leaping, you know, is a froglike accomplishment," continued theFrogman, modestly, "but please tell me what I am to do when I reach theother side of the wall."
"You're a brave creature," said the Wizard, admiringly. "Has anyone apin?"
Betsy had one, which she gave him.
"All you need do," said the Wizard to the Frogman, giving him the pin,"is to stick this into the other side of the wall."
"But the wall is of steel!" exclaimed the big frog.
"I know; at least, it _seems_ to be steel; but do as I tell you. Stickthe pin into the wall and it will disappear."
The Frogman took off his handsome coat and carefully folded it and laidit on the grass. Then he removed his hat and laid it, together with hisgold-headed cane, beside the coat. He then went back a way and madethree powerful leaps, in rapid succession. The first two leaps took himto the wall and the third leap carried him well over it, to theamazement of all. For a short time he disappeared from their view, butwhen he had obeyed the Wizard's injunction and had thrust the pin intothe wall, the huge barrier vanished and showed them the form of theFrogman, who now went to where his coat lay and put it on again.
"We thank you very much," said the delighted Wizard. "That was the mostwonderful leap I ever saw and it has saved us from defeat by our enemy.Let us now hurry on to the castle before Ugu the Shoemaker thinks ofsome other means to stop us."
"We must have surprised him, so far," declared Dorothy.
"Yes, indeed. The fellow knows a lot of magic--all of our tricks andsome of his own," replied the Wizard. "So, if he is half as clever as heought to be, we shall have trouble with him yet."
He had scarcely spoken these words when out from the gates of the wickercastle marched a regiment of soldiers, clad in gay uniforms and allbearing long, pointed spears and sharp battle-axes. These soldiers weregirls, and the uniforms were short skirts of yellow and black satin,golden shoes, bands of gold across their foreheads and necklaces ofglittering jewels. Their jackets were scarlet, braided with silvercords. There were hundreds of these girl-soldiers, and they were moreterrible than beautiful, being strong and fierce in appearance. Theyformed a circle all around the castle and faced outward, their spearspointed toward the invaders and their battle-axes held over theirshoulders, ready to strike.
Of course our friends halted at once, for they had not expected thisdreadful array of soldiery. The Wizard seemed puzzled and his companionsexchanged discouraged looks.
"I'd no idea Ugu had such an army as that," said Dorothy. "The castledoesn't look big enough to hold them all."
"It isn't," declared the Wizard.
"But they all marched out of it."
"They seemed to; but I don't believe it is a real army at all. If Uguthe Shoemaker had so many people living with him, I'm sure the Czaroverof Herku would have mentioned the fact to us."
"They're only girls!" laughed Scraps.
"Girls are the fiercest soldiers of all," declared the Frogman. "Theyare more brave than men and they have better nerves. That is probablywhy the magician uses them for soldiers and has sent them to oppose us."
No one argued this statement, for all were staring hard at the line ofsoldiers, which now, having taken a defiant position, remainedmotionless.
"Here is a trick of magic new to me," admitted the Wizard, after a time."I do not believe the army is real, but the spears may be sharp enoughto prick us, nevertheless, so we must be cautious. Let us take time toconsider how to meet this difficulty."
While they were thinking it over Scraps danced closer to the line ofgirl soldiers. Her button eyes sometimes saw more than did the naturaleyes of her comrades and so, after staring hard at the magician's army,she boldly advanced and danced right through the threatening line! Onthe other side she waved her stuffed arms and called out:
"Come on, folks. The spears can't hurt you."
"Ah!" said the Wizard, gayly, "an optical illusion, as I thought. Let usall follow the Patchwork Girl."
The three little girls were somewhat nervous in attempting to brave thespears and battle-axes, but after the others had safely passed the linethey ventured to follow. And, when all had passed through the ranks ofthe girl army, the army itself magically disappeared from view.
All this time our friends had been getting farther up the hill andnearer to the wicker castle. Now, continuing their advance, theyexpected something else to oppose their way, but to their astonishmentnothing happened and presently they arrived at the wicker gates, whichstood wide open, and boldly entered the domain of Ugu the Shoemaker.
The Lost Princess of Oz Page 22