L. Frank Baum - Oz 36

by Lucky Bucky In Oz

  “Don’t worry, little sailor boy. I’m lost, too—I often get lost, but my father always finds me and takes me home. Who are you? I don’t remember seeing you before.”

  “My friend and I,” said Bucky, including the whale with a gesture, “are on our way to the Emerald City. I’m not sure we are on the right road.”

  Interrupted by the sound of tinkling glass, he stopped speaking to listen. The air was filled with seven mysterious pillars of solid light that settled deep into the sand beside them, and in the pillars were each color of the rainbow. The little fairy flew among them, arranging them in place. The air was cooler and cleaner now, as the fairy danced around the whale. Floating gracefully back, she sat down on Davy’s head.

  “Don’t you know me?” she asked in surprise. “My name is Polychrome! My sisters and I are the rain-Page 94

  bow.”

  With delicate care and a dainty motion, she caught up the gauzy folds of her dress and flew off again to oversee the forming of the great arch. The curving rays from the rainbow fixed themselves more firmly in the sand as many sisters of Polychrome began to dance down the arc of the bow in the gayest spirits. These beautiful rainbow fairies dipped lightly to the sand bringing hope and confidence to the bewildered travelers.

  Polychrome and Bucky were pleading with the whale who kept shaking his head as though in doubt.

  “No, no!” he was saying, “You go ahead. Leave me here. I’ll find a way to follow later.”

  “We’ll do nothing of the sort. I would never think of leaving you here. If you stay, I’ll stay!” replied the boy. “And, another thing-I’m the pilot and you are the first vessel I ever heard of that refused to go where the pilot directed-”

  “I’m sure you can do it,” insisted Polychrome.

  ”Please -

  “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try,” the whale conceded. “If you won’t try, remember I stay right here with you,” said Bucky.

  “See here, now-if that’s the way you feel, of course

  I’ll try,” replied the whale.

  “Splendid!” cheered Polychrome. “Now, I am going to pilot you up that rainbow if it’s the last thing I do,” said Bucky, as he helped to lift Davy’s head against the pillar of light. “Now-up with you-everybody lend a hand!”

  The great whale began to rise until he was standing straight up on his tail.

  All the daughters of the rainbow helped.

  Tom, Dick, Harry and even little Flummux blew a gale strong enough to turn the trick.

  Davy began to move-slowly at first-then, with everyone straining for all he was worth, the whale started to rise.

  Higher and higher he slid; then faster-until they had him well on the upward way. They could see the desert, far below, dimming as they rose. The other end of the bow was lost in the distance.

  All hands continued to push so no time should be lost. Using every ounce of strength, they pushed their dangerous undertaking forward until Davy was mov-mg at a surprising clip, up the long rays of color.

  The sun had begun to sink into the evening before they reached the top of the curve. And the girls, who were not accustomed to such hard work, began to show signs of weariness.

  “Let’s all take a little rest to get back our breath,” suggested Bucky when he noticed how worn out the girls were. They stopped pushing.

  Davy began to slip backward. But they caught him in time and with renewed vigor they resumed the drive-striving to reach the top. If they had let him slip, there is no telling what might have become of him.

  But they were more careful now. They were all joyous when they reached the level stretch of the top of the arc. From that point the going was easier for the bow curved down hill.

  “Before we go any farther,” said Davy. “I want to try to thank you for all you have done for me!”

  “We would never have left such a kind whale and such a nice sailor boy in that awful place,” replied Polychrome, and all her sisters agreed.

  Then, on the edge of the rainbow, they sat down in a beam of brilliant color. Without warning, the bow began to bend. The weight of the whale made it sag in the middle. Ever so little at first, then more and more, it dipped until it reached the breaking point. Already the four Gabooches were underneath Davy; blowing their most powerful gales, they just managed to hold him from dropping any farther but not an inch

  could they lift him no matter how long-winded they blew. They could barely hold him-Something must be done quickly-

  Luckily a bunch of cloud-pushers who kept the clouds moving in the sky were returning from work at the end of the day. They obligingly lent a hand and soon had the whale back on the level beams of light.

  The track ahead ran downward, the curve growing steeper the farther it bent. The descent seemed downright dangerous but so eager was Davy to cross the desert that he started off immediately down the slight decline. Gaining speed at an alarming rate, he soon found it wise to consider slowing down.

  “Take it Ozzy, Mr. Jones, take it Ozzy,” warned the Flummux, who had all she could do to keep up with him.

  The daylight was fading and the big wooden whale knew that the rainbow would grow weaker and vanish completely with the setting of the sun.

  At the present speed he was bound to smash. He figured out that there was little choice left to him, and he dug his tail hard into the rainbow. This acted as a dragging anchor to break his speed. It was the best he could do. He let everything take its course.

  The pressure of his tail did help a little but not enough to do more than keep his head pointing

  forward.

  Then, dropping straight downward, he landed with a crashing swoosh on the surface of a small lake that fortunately was spread out at the foot of the rainbow.

  The mighty splash over, Davy settled himself comfortably in the cool water with dancing, golden ripples all around him. With a look ofjoyous satisfaction, he turned to Lucky Bucky and smiled.

  “We are at last in Oz—the real Oz—I can hardly believe it!” he breathed.

  Bucky, who had been very much shaken up in the crash, turned anxiously to his cousin:

  “You had an awful fall, Davy. How are your timbers? I do hope they are not shivered!”

  “I don’t care now if every timber in my framework is shivered to bits,” replied the whale, with a look of rapture on his broad, friendly face. “At last I am in Oz-Real Oz-nothing else matters.”

  And the sun went down on the happiest whale in all creation.

  Around them the air was so quiet it passed through the trees without disturbing the leaves. It was a land of enchantment. The rainbow itself had dissolved in the twilight but from high overhead, the sweet voices of the rainbow’s daughters called:

  “Good-night, big whale-good-night, little sailor boy. We hope you reach the Emerald City safely. Good-night! Good-night!”

  CHAPTER 13

  Winning Their Way

  BUCKY lay flat on the grass for a long-needed sleep. The Gabooches, who never closed an eye, perched on the rail like sentinels keeping guard.

  Sun-up, next morning, found them all eager to be on their way. A hurried glance at the lining of the pirate’s coat showed them exactly where they were in the yellow land of the Winkies.

  The water in the little lake into which they had splashed the night before was like liquid gold. It flowed into a prim little river.

  This stream ran through a stiff as starch country with here and there a house set on the top of a hill.

  It was not a wide river-just wide enough for Davy to swim through without touching either side. The banks were well kept and straight as a ruler, without the slightest hint of a curve. When the river turned, it turned in an exact right angle.

  Placed close to the edge was a severe looking sign

  painted with yellow letters:

  NO CONNECTION WITH ANY OTHER RIVER Fishing Drinking Bathing and Boating FORBIDDEN BY LAW No bridges or tides allowed Drowning on Thesdays only DO NOT CROSS ME.

 
Proceeding at an even speed, the whale was so filled with good-feeling that he paid no attention to the

  sign.

  “What a whale of a place!” he kept repeating as they passed long lines of formal trees leading up to stiff, orderly houses.

  Never before had Bucky seen such odd landscapes. Looking at the scenery, he forgot to keep an eye on Davy’s course. So, it happened that he suddenly found himself surrounded by a patch of high, waving cattails. They were tough and lashed angrily across the deck at Bucky, who caught one, and yanked it by the roots from the water and dropped it on the river bank.

  “Meow-” complained the root and stretched itself into a lazy old cat that licked itself dry before it spoke to Bucky. “Go on, finish the job. They usually do,”

  it purred, “and please be quick about it.”

  Bucky pulled up two more cats and dropped them beside the first one. He continued to pull cattails until his arms ached, placing them side by side along the grassy bank.

  In this way he cleared a passage and hardly had Davy slipped through before all the cats jumped back into the river, leaving only their waving tails showing.

  The very last cat glared at them. She seemed annoyed.

  “Some people ought to learn to leave other people alone,” she remarked as she dived into the water and disappeared.

  Bucky was perplexed by this but the Flummux returned the cat’s stare and was about to answer her, but hesitated so long that the cat was gone.

  “Do you want to know what I think?” she whispered to Bucky. “I think those cattails are people under enchantment-put there by some wicked witch-That’s what I think!”

  The river flowed along, straight and self-satisfied. Bucky was thinking hard.

  “Do you believe this witch stuff?” he asked the

  Flummux.

  “Why shouldn’t I believe it? Why shouldn’t you believe it? Weren’t we shut up in doorknobs?”

  Bucky scratched his head: “There is something in what you say. And I’m not so sure you are a Flummux either,” he said.

  “I hope you are right,” replied the little Gabooch as she vigorously polished her brass nozzle with a cosmetic made from brass polish that she had found in the cabin.

  With elaborate care, she also polished her brothers’ nozzles until they sparkled.

  “Perk up, boys,” she said. “I want you to look your best in case we meet some important people. It isn’t every girl who has such handsome brothers as you are!” The Flummux twittered cheerfully as she hopped back into the cabin to replace the brass-cosmetic.

  The whale quivered along blissfully. “What good fortune I have with so much to see-such a Lucky pilot-such a loyal crew. Was ever a big, homely whale so favored with finer friends-”

  “Now, my great big cousin,-” began Bucky giving a friendly pat to Davy’s blunt nose, “just suppose we were caught in this river and transformed into cattails. What then? I’m not used to magic or enchantments.”

  The whale was quick to respond: “As I told you before, don’t worry about such things. Queen Ozma and the Wizard attend to all such problems when it becomes necessary.”

  “That may be all very true but I will feel safer when we are out of this river.”

  The whale whipped up speed, then put on all the brakes suddenly, and he was none too soon. For this river, like the other, had stopped abruptly.

  Looking ahead they saw a patch of lawn with a high stone wall beyond. Hanging there was another sign marked:

  GLAD TO SEE YOU GO

  “I’m glad, too,” said Bucky, “if we haven’t come to another standstill.”

  Impatiently springing ashore to examine the wall, he found a wide iron gate and opened it. Stepping through, he looked about cautiously when he heard the sound of excited voices. He was relieved to see another river not far away.

  Beckoning Davy to follow, he turned toward a restless gathering of people standing beside another large sign. The lettering on this one was quite different.

  Only Real River in a 100 miles

  Everybody Welcome

  Prize Winners

  Champions

  Lucky Shots

  King Pins Especially Welcome Ability Skill and Chance Sports Games and Amusements WELCOME TO ALL

  “Can you beat that?” exclaimed Davy in surprise, sticking his head through the gate.

  An eager little man with a most hospitable manner came up to meet them and explain the situation. He drew a mark across the sand at the river shore. “You’ll have to beat every game if you expect to pass,” he told them. “Start from scratch,” he directed, indicating the mark.

  “You certainly are a gay community,” remarked the agreeable whale as he lumbered up to scratch. From there he could see that many games were in progress.

  “And-might I add-quite a sociable one.” As Davy and his crew went down toward the river, a team of over-sized grasshoppers met them. They

  were dressed in gaudy Scotch kilts with long ribbons fluttering from their caps.

  Some of them were taller than Bucky and he hesitated when they crowded around him. But their gracious manners put him at ease.

  “Would you care to play a game of hop-scotch? The fun is just beginning!”

  Bucky soon found that he was no match for the hop-scotchers, but Tom, Dick and Harry entered the competition eagerly. They won. The party then passed on down the river where, on both banks and in the stream itself, every known game was being played.

  Right and left, they were challenged by enormous frogs to a game of leap-frog. The Flummux was bashful at first but her brothers coaxed her to try and she did. And, what’s more, she won.

  With each winning, they were allowed to proceed. In this manner, they won their way, little by little, down the river.

  A cricket team of tall green crickets challenged them to come up the creek and play, but this they were forced to decline because they did not have enough players to make up an opposing team.

  A stray deck of playing cards climbed aboard Davy’s deck, pleading with him to try a game of solitaire.

  “Really I’m not a game-fish,” explained the whale,

  “But I’ll try my luck

  He almost won, but-didn’t— “Sorry, old blubber,” said the cards, gathering themselves together, “You’re game anyhow!”

  At the second try, he did win and they all moved up a peg. Before they left, the cards gave an exhibition of fancy shuffling that was astonishing.

  There were plenty of side-shows. It was just like a county fair. Courts for tennis and pools for water sports dotted the course. Grandstands stood in the background and boardwalks wandered from place to place wherever large crowds needed them, or when a champion was playing.

  So much was going on that Bucky concluded they never would get to the Emerald City if they had to play every game. The Gabooches were having the time of their lives, winning one contest after another. In quick games of chance, Bucky always came out ahead, being so Lucky. Davy, by far the best swiminer, beat all the champions in the water sports.

  They noticed that the games were more difficult and the players more expert, as they advanced, and they tried to avoid these experts wherever possible.

  A team of Crows who were champion crow-kay players insisted the strangers should kindly stop and

  be beaten.

  As there was no way to avoid this challenge without being rude, Bucky spent a whole half-hour playing crow-kay with white crows. He won by the small margin of one stroke.

  Davy’s fine feats at swimming were greeted with cheers from all sides. At every turn, bids, dares and challenges were called: “Win or. lose! Try your luck! Winner takes all!” until Davy’s head ached from the friendly racket. Patiently he sloshed along, trying to avoid the delays of so much merrymaking. To every bid to play, he turned a deaf ear. At last they had passed through the River of the lively gameland.

  CHAPTER 14

  Tea and Thunderbugs

  THE way ahead looked clear. B
ut just as they reached a turn in the river, out of nowhere came the word: “Check!” spoken like a sharp challenge.

  “Go on! Go on! Don’t pay any attention to him!” said Bucky. Davy increased speed in an effort to get out of sight around the bend. It wasn’t long before the order was repeated, this time more emphatically:

  “Check! Check! DoubleCheck!”

  They were forced to stop. A large checkerboard spread itself entirely across the river and strutting Over the board came a fat, pompous teapot. He began to set the black and red checkers in the proper squares, and not until he had them placed did he turn to the angry whale.

  Then turning around he laughed through his spout:

  “Back up and slow down,” he ordered. “Or do you wish to back down and give up? If so, you are prisoners of King Jack Pott.”

  “Never!!” cried Bucky and Davy in a combined

  breath.

  “Never!!” repeated the Gabooches, one after the

  other.

  With one spring Bucky leaped onto the checkerboard.

  “We are ready!” he announced. “Now, make your first move. Here is mine!” and he shoved one huge black checker from the square where it rested to the next one.

  The game was started.

  King Pott strutted across the board to make his move, but he stopped to ask:

  “How do you like my looks? Did you ever see a better looking Jack Pott than I am? Such beautiful

  lines; such delicate china! And what would you like me to be filled with? Coffee, tea or chocolate?”