creature is to fly, and not walk, it  is  really
unimportant whether its legs are alive or not."
     So Tip abided by this decision and sprinkled the Gump's head with the
remainder of the powder.
     "Now" said he, "keep silence while I work the, charm!"
     Having heard old Mombi pronounce the magic  words,  and  having  also
succeeded in bringing the Saw-Horse to  life,  Tip  did  not  hesitate  an
instant in speaking the three cabalistic words, each  accompanied  by  the
peculiar gesture of the hands.
     It was a grave and impressive ceremony.
     As he finished the incantation the  Thing  shuddered  throughout  its
huge bulk, the Gump gave the screeching cry  that  is  familiar  to  those
animals, and then the four wings began flopping furiously.
     Tip managed to grasp a chimney, else he would have been blown off the
roof by the terrible breeze raised by  the  wings.  The  Scarecrow,  being
light in weight, was caught up bodily and borne through the air until  Tip
luckily seized him by one leg and held him fast. The Woggle-Bug  lay  flat
upon the roof and so escaped harm, and the Tin Woodman,  whose  weight  of
tin anchored him firmly, threw  both  arms  around  Jack  Pumpkinhead  and
managed to save him. The Saw-Horse toppled over upon his back and lay with
his legs waving helplessly above him.
     And now, while all were struggling to recover themselves,  the  Thing
rose slowly from the roof and mounted into the air.
     "Here! Come back!" cried Tip, in a frightened voice, as he  clung  to
the chimney with one hand and the Scarecrow with the other. "Come back  at
once, I command you!"
     It was now that the wisdom of the Scarecrow, in bringing the head  of
the Thing to life instead of the legs, was proved beyond a doubt. For  the
Gump, already high in the air,  turned  its  head  at  Tip's  command  and
gradually circled around until it could view the roof of the palace.
     "Come back!" shouted the boy, again.
     And the Gump obeyed, slowly and gracefully waving its four  wings  in
the air until the Thing had settled once more upon  the  roof  and  become
still.



        In the Jackdaw's Nest

     "This," said the Gump, in a squeaky voice not at all proportioned  to
the size of its great body, "is the most novel experience I ever heard of.
The last thing I remember distinctly is walking  through  the  forest  and
hearing a loud noise. Something probably killed me then, and it  certainly
ought to have been the end of me. Yet here I am, alive  again,  with  four
monstrous wings and  a  body  which  I  venture  to  say  would  make  any
respectable animal or fowl weep with shame to own. What does it all  mean?
Am I a Gump, or am I a juggernaut?" The creature, as it spoke, wiggled its
chin whiskers in a very comical manner.
     "You're just a Thing," answered Tip, "with a Gump's head on  it.  And
we have made you and brought you to life so that you may carry us  through
the air wherever we wish to go."
     "Very good!" said the Thing. "As I am not a Gump,  I  cannot  have  a
Gump's pride or independent spirit. So I may as well become  your  servant
as anything else. My only satisfaction is that I do not  seem  to  have  a
very strong constitution, and am not likely to live long  in  a  state  of
slavery."
     "Don't say that,  I  beg  of  you!"  cried  the  Tin  Woodman,  whose
excellent heart was strongly affected by this sad  speech."  Are  you  not
feeling well today?"
     "Oh, as for that,"  returned  the  Gump,  "it  is  my  first  day  of
existence; so I cannot Judge whether I am feeling well  or  ill."  And  it
waved its broom tail to and fro in a pensive manner.
     "Come, come!" said  the  Scarecrow,  kindly.  "do  try,  to  be  more
cheerful and take life as you find it. We shall be kind masters, and  will
strive to render your existence as pleasant as possible. Are  you  willing
to carry us through the air wherever we wish to go?"
     "Certainly," answered the Gump. "I greatly  prefer  to  navigate  the
air. For should I travel on the earth and meet with one of my own species,
my embarrassment would be something awful!"
     "I can appreciate that," said the Tin Woodman, sympathetically.
     "And yet," continued the Thing, "when I carefully look you  over,  my
masters, none of you seems to be constructed much more artistically than I
am."
     "Appearances are deceitful," said the Woggle-Bug,  earnestly.  "I  am
both Highly Magnified and Thoroughly Educated."
     "Indeed!" murmured the Gump, indifferently.
     "And my brains are considered remarkably rare specimens,"  added  the
Scarecrow, proudly.
     "How strange!" remarked the Gump.
     "Although I am of tin," said the Woodman, "I own a  heart  altogether
the warmest and most admirable in the whole world."
     "I'm delighted to hear it," replied the Gump, with a slight cough.
     "My smile," said Jack Pumpkinhead, "is worthy your best attention. It
is always the same."
     "Semper idem," explained the  Woggle-Bug,  pompously;  and  the  Gump
turned to stare at him.
     "And I," declared the Saw-Horse, filling in  an  awkward  pause,  "am
only remarkable because I can't help it."
     "I am proud, indeed, to meet with such exceptional masters," said the
Gump, in  a  careless  tone.  "If  I  could  but  secure  so  complete  an
introduction to myself, I would be more than satisfied."
     "That will come in time," remarked the Scarecrow. "To 'Know  Thyself'
is considered quite an accomplishment, which it has taken us, who are your
elders, months to perfect. But now," he added, turning to the others, "let
us get aboard and start upon our journey."
     "Where shall we go?" asked Tip, as he clambered  to  a  seat  on  the
sofas and assisted the Pumpkinhead to follow him.
     "In the South Country rules a very delightful Queen called Glinda the
Good, who I am sure will gladly receive us," said the  Scarecrow,  getting
into the Thing clumsily. "Let us go to her and ask her advice."
     "That is cleverly thought of,"  declared  Nick  Chopper,  giving  the
Woggle-Bug a boost and then toppling the Saw-Horse into the  rear  end  of
the cushioned seats." I know Glinda the Good, and believe she will prove a
friend indeed."
     "Are we all ready?" asked the boy.
     "Yes,"  announced  the  Tin  Woodman,  seating  himself  beside   the
Scarecrow.
     "Then," said Tip, addressing the Gump, "be kind enough to fly with us
to the Southward; and do not go higher  than  to  escape  the  houses  and
trees, for it makes me dizzy to be up so far."
     "All right," answered the Gump, briefly.
     It flopped its four huge wings and rose  slowly  into  the  air;  and
then, while our little band of adventurers clung to the backs and sides of
the sofas for support, the Gump turned toward the South and soared swiftly
and majestically away.
     "The scenic effect, from this altitude, is marvelous," commented  the
educated Woggle-Bug, as they rode along.
     "Never mind the scenery," said the Scarecrow. "Hold on tight, or  you
may get a tumble. The Thing seems to rock badly.'
     "It will be dark soon," said Tip, observing that the sun was  low  on
the horizon. "Perhaps we should have waited until morning. I wonder if the
Gump can fly in the night."
     "I've been wondering that myself," returned the  Gump  quietly.  "You
see, this is a new experience to me. I used to have legs that  carried  me
swiftly over the ground. But now my legs feel as if they were asleep."
     "They are," said Tip. "We didn't bring 'em to life."
     "You're expected to fly," explained the Scarecrow. "not to walk."
     "We can walk ourselves," said the Woggle-Bug."
     I begin to understand what is required of me," remarked the Gump; "so
I will do my best to please you," and he flew on for a time in silence.
     Presently Jack Pumpkinhead became uneasy.
     "I wonder if riding through the air is liable to spoil pumpkins,"  he
said.
     "Not unless you carelessly drop your head over  the  side,"  answered
the Woggle-Bug. "In that event your head would no longer be a pumpkin, for
it would become a squash."
     "Have I not asked you to restrain these  unfeeling  jokes?"  demanded
Tip, looking at the Woggle-Bug with a severe expression.
     "You have; and I've restrained a good  many  of  them,"  replied  the
insect. "But there are opportunities for so many  excellent  puns  in  our
language that, to an  educated  person  like  myself,  the  temptation  to
express them is almost irresistible."
     "People with more or less education discovered those  puns  centuries
ago," said Tip.
     "Are you sure?" asked the Woggle-Bug, with a startled look.
     "Of course I am," answered the boy. "An educated Woggle-Bug may be  a
new thing; but a Woggle-Bug education is as old as the hills, judging from
the display you make of it."
     The insect seemed much impressed by  this  remark,  and  for  a  time
maintained a meek silence.
     The Scarecrow, in shifting  his  seat,  saw  upon  the  cushions  the
pepper-box which Tip had cast aside, and began to examine it.
     "Throw it overboard," said  the  boy;  "it's  quite  empty  now,  and
there's no use keeping it."
     "Is it really empty?" asked the Scarecrow, looking curiously into the
box.
     "Of course it is," answered Tip. "I shook  out  every  grain  of  the
powder.
     "Then the box has two bottoms," announced  the  Scarecrow,  "for  the
bottom on the inside is fully an inch away from the bottom on the outside.
"
     "Let me see," said the Tin Woodman, taking the box from  his  friend.
"Yes," he declared, after looking it over,  "the  thing  certainly  has  a
false bottom. Now, I wonder what that is for?"
     "Can't you get it apart, and  find  out?"  enquired  Tip,  now  quite
interested in the mystery.
     "Why, yes; the lower bottom unscrews,"  said  the  Tin  Woodman.  "My
fingers are rather stiff; please see if you can open it."
     He handed the pepper-box to Tip, who had no difficulty in  unscrewing
the bottom. And in the cavity  below  were  three  silver  pills,  with  a
carefully folded paper lying underneath them.
     This paper the boy proceeded to unfold, taking care not to spill  the
pills, and found several lines clearly written in red ink.
     "Read it aloud," said the Scarecrow. so Tip read, as follows:

               "DR. NIKIDIK'S CELEBRATED WISHING PILLS.
                "Directions for Use: Swallow one pill;
              count seventeen by twos; then make a Wish.
                - The Wish will immediately be granted.
                CAUTION: Keep in a Dry and Dark Place."

     "Why, this is a very valuable discovery!" cried the Scarecrow.
     "It is, indeed," replied Tip, gravely. "These pills may be  of  great
use to us. I wonder if old Mombi knew they  were  in  the  bottom  of  the
pepper-box. I remember hearing her say that she got  the  Powder  of  Life
from this same Nikidik."
     "He must be a powerful Sorcerer!" exclaimed  the  Tin  Woodman;  "and
since the powder proved a success we  ought  to  have  confidence  in  the
pills."
     "But how," asked the Scarecrow, "can anyone count seventeen by  twos?
Seventeen is an odd number."
     "That is true,"  replied  Tip,  greatly  disappointed.  "No  one  can
possibly count seventeen by twos."
     "Then the pills are of no use to us," wailed  the  Pumpkinhead;  "and
this fact overwhelms me with grief. For I had  intended  wishing  that  my
head would never spoil."
     "Nonsense!" said the Scarecrow, sharply. "If we could use  the  pills
at all we would make far better wishes than that."
     "I do not see how anything could be better," protested poor Jack. "If
you were liable to spoil at any time you could understand my anxiety."
     "For my part," said the Tin Woodman, "I sympathize with you in  every
respect. But since we cannot count seventeen by twos, sympathy is all  you
are liable to get."
     By this time it had become quite dark, and the voyagers  found  above
them a cloudy sky, through which the rays of the moon could not penetrate.
     The Gump flew steadily on, and for some  reason  the  huge  sofa-body
rocked more and more dizzily every hour.
     The Woggle-Bug declared he was sea-sick; and Tip was  also  pale  and
somewhat distressed. But the others clung to the backs of  the  sofas  and
did not seem to mind the motion as long as they were not tipped out.
     Darker and darker grew the night, and on and on sped the Gump through
the black heavens. The travelers could not even see one  another,  and  an
oppressive silence settled down upon them.
     After a long time Tip, who had been thinking deeply, spoke.
     "How are we to know when we come to the pallace of Glinda the  Good?"
he asked.
     "It's a long way to Glinda's palace,"  answered  the  Woodman;  "I've
traveled it."
     "But how are we to know how fast the Gump is flying?"  persisted  the
boy. "We cannot see a single thing down on the earth, and  before  morning
we may be far beyond the place we want to reach."
     "That is all true enough," the Scarecrow replied, a little  uneasily.
"But I do not see how we can stop just now;  for  we  might  alight  in  a
river, or on, the top of a steeple; and that would be a great disaster."
     So they permitted the Gump to fly on, with regular flops of its great
wings, and waited patiently for morning.
     Then Tip's fears were proven to be well founded; for with  the  first
streaks of gray  dawn  they  looked  over  the  sides  of  the  sofas  and
discovered rolling plains dotted with queer villages,  where  the  houses,
instead of being domeshaped - as they all are in the  Land  of  Oz  -  had
slanting roofs that rose to a peak in the center. Odd looking animals were
also moving about upon the open plains, and the country was unfamiliar  to
both the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow, who had  formerly  visited  Glinda
the Good's domain and knew it well.
     "We are lost!" said the Scarecrow, dolefully.  "The  Gump  must  have
carried us entirely out of the Land of Oz and over the sandy  deserts  and
into the terrible outside world that Dorothy told us about."
     "We must get back," exclaimed the Tin Woodman,  earnestly.  "we  must
get back as soon as possible!"
     "Turn around!" cried Tip to the Gump. "turn as quickly as you can!"
     "If I do I shall upset," answered the Gump. "I'm not at all  used  to
flying, and the best plan would be for me to alight  in  some  place,  and
then I can turn around and take a fresh start."
     Just then, however, there seemed to be no stopping-place  that  would
answer their purpose. They flew over a village so big that the  Woggle-Bug
declared it was a city. and then they came to a range  of  high  mountains
with many deep gorges and steep cliffs showing plainly.
     "Now is our chance to stop," said the boy,  finding  they  were  very
close to the mountain tops. Then he turned  to  the  Gump  and  commanded:
"Stop at the first level place you see!"
     "Very well," answered the Gump, and settled down upon a table of rock
that stood between two cliffs.
     But not being experienced in such matters, the Gump did not judge his
speed correctly; and instead of coming to a stop upon  the  flat  rock  he
missed it by half the width of his body, breaking off both his right wings
against the sharp edge of the rock and then tumbling over  and  over  down
the cliff.
     Our friends held on to the sofas as long as they could, but when  the
Gump caught on a proJecting rock the Thing stopped suddenly - bottom  side
up - and all were immediately dumped out.
     By good fortune they fell only a few feet; for underneath them was  a
monster nest, built by a colony of Jackdaws in a hollow ledge of rock;  so
none of them - not even the Pumpkinhead - was injured  by  the  fall.  For
Jack found his precious head resting on the soft breast of the  Scarecrow,
which made an excellent cushion; and Tip fell on  a  mass  of  leaves  and
papers, which saved him from injury. The Woggle-Bug had bumped  his  round
head against the Saw-Horse, but without causing him more than  a  moment's
inconvenience.
     The Tin Woodman was at first much alarmed; but finding he had escaped
without even a scratch upon his beautiful nickle-plate he at once regained
his accustomed cheerfulness and turned to address his comrades.
     "Our Journey had ended rather suddenly,"  said  he;  "and  we  cannot
justly blame our friend the Gump for our accident, because he did the best
he could under the circumstances. But how we are ever to escape from  this
nest I must leave to someone with better brains than I possess."
     Here he gazed at the Scarecrow; who crawled to the edge of  the  nest
and looked over. Below them was a sheer precipice several hundred feet  in
depth. Above them was a smooth cliff unbroken save by the  point  of  rock
where the wrecked body of the Gump still hung suspended from  the  end  of
one of the sofas. There really seemed to be no means  of  escape,  and  as
they realized their helpless plight the little band  of  adventurers  gave
way to their bewilderment.
     "This is  a  worse  prison  than  the  palace,"  sadly  remarked  the
Woggle-Bug.
     "I wish we had stayed there," moaned Jack.
     "I'm afraid the mountain air isn't good for pumpkins."
     "It won't be when the Jackdaws come  back,"  growled  the  Saw-Horse,
which lay waving its legs in a vain endeavor to get upon its  feet  again.
"Jackdaws are especially fond of pumpkins."
     "Do you think the birds will come here?" asked Jack, much distressed.
     "Of course they will," said Tip; "for this is their nest.  And  there
must be hundreds of them," he continued, "for see what  a  lot  of  things
they have brought here!"
     Indeed, the nest was half filled with a most  curious  collection  of
small articles for which the birds  could  have  no  use,  but  which  the
thieving Jackdaws had stolen during many years from the homes of men.  And
as the nest was safely hidden where no human being could  reach  it,  this
lost property would never be recovered.
     The Woggle-Bug, searching among the rubbish - for the Jackdaws  stole
useless things as well as valuable ones  -  turned  up  with  his  foot  a
beautiful diamond necklace. This was so greatly admired by the Tin Woodman
that the Woggle-Bug presented it to him  with  a  graceful  speech,  after
which the Woodman hung it around  his  neck  with  much  pride,  rejoicing
exceedingly when the big diamonds glittered in the sun's rays.
     But now they heard a great jabbering and flopping of  wings,  and  as
the sound grew nearer to them Tip exclaimed:
     "The Jackdaws are coming! And if they find us here they  will  surely
kill us in their anger."
     "I was afraid of this!" moaned the Pumpkinhead. "My time has come!"
     "And mine, also!" said the Woggle-Bug; "for Jackdaws are the greatest
enemies of my race."
     The others were not at all afraid; but the Scarecrow at once  decided
to save those of the party who were liable to  be  injured  by  the  angry
birds. So he commanded Tip to take off Jack's head and lie down with it in
the bottom of the nest, and when this was done he ordered  the  Woggle-Bug
to lie beside Tip. Nick Chopper, who knew from past experience  Just  what
to do, then took the  Scarecrow  to  pieces  (all  except  his  head)  and
scattered the straw over Tip and the Woggle-Bug, completely covering their
bodies.
     Hardly had this been accomplished when the flock of Jackdaws  reached
them. Perceiving the intruders in their nest the birds flew down upon them
with screams of rage.



        Dr. Nikidik's Famous Wishing Pills

     The Tin Woodman  was  usually  a  peaceful  man,  but  when  occasion
required he could fight as fiercely as a Roman  gladiator.  So,  when  the
Jackdaws nearly knocked him down in their rush of wings, and  their  sharp
beaks and claws threatened to damage his brilliant  plating,  the  Woodman
picked up his axe and made it whirl swiftly around his head.
     But although many were beaten off in this  way,  the  birds  were  so
numerous and so brave that they  continued  the  attack  as  furiously  as
before. Some of them pecked at the eyes of the Gump, which hung  over  the
nest in a helpless condition; but the Gump's eyes were of glass and  could
not be injured. Others of the Jackdaws rushed at the Saw-Horse;  but  that
animal, being still upon his back, kicked out so viciously with his wooden
legs that he beat off as many assailants as did the Woodman's axe.
     Finding themselves thus opposed, the birds fell upon the  Scarecrow's
straw, which lay  at  the  center  of  the  nest,  covering  Tip  and  the
Woggle-Bug and Jack's pumpkin head, and began tearing it away  and  flying
off with it, only to let it drop, straw  by  straw  into  the  great  gulf
beneath.
     The Scarecrow's head, noting with dismay this wanton  destruction  of
his interior, cried to the Tin Woodman to save him; and that  good  friend
responded with renewed energy. His axe fairly flashed among the  Jackdaws,
and fortunately the Gump began wildly waving the two  wings  remaining  on
the left side of its body. The flutter of these  great  wings  filled  the
Jackdaws with terror, and when the Gump by its exertions freed itself from
the peg of rock on which it hung, and sank flopping  into  the  nest,  the
alarm of the birds knew  no  bounds  and  they  fled  screaming  over  the
mountains.
     When the last foe had disappeared, Tip crawled from under  the  sofas
and assisted the Woggle-Bug to follow him.
     "We are saved!" shouted the boy, delightedly.
     "We are, indeed!" responded the Educated Insect, fairly  hugging  the
stiff head of the Gump in his joy. "and we owe it all to the  flopping  of
the Thing, and the good axe of the Woodman!"
     "If I am saved, get me out of here!"  called  Jack;  whose  head  was
still beneath the sofas; and Tip managed to roll the pumpkin out and place
it upon its neck again. He also set the Saw-Horse upright, and said to it:
     "We owe you many thanks for the gallant fight you made."
     "I really think we  have  escaped  very  nicely,"  remarked  the  Tin
Woodman, in a tone of pride.
     "Not so!" exclaimed a hollow voice.
     At this they all turned in surprise to look at the Scarecrow's  head,
which lay at the back of the nest.
     "I am completely ruined!" declared the Scarecrow, as he  noted  their
astonishment. "For where is the straw that stuffs my body?"
     The awful question startled them all. They gazed around the nest with
horror, for not a vestige of straw remained. The Jackdaws had stolen it to
the last wisp and flung it all into the chasm that yawned for hundreds  of
feet beneath the nest.
     "My  poor,  poor  friend!"  said  the  Tin  Woodman,  taking  up  the
Scarecrow's head and caressing it tenderly;  "whoever  could  imagine  you
would come to this untimely end?"
     "I did it to save my friends," returned the head; "and I am glad that
I perished in so noble and unselfish a manner."
     "But why are you all so despondent?" inquired  the  Woggle-Bug.  "The
Scarecrow's clothing is still safe."
     "Yes," answered the  Tin  Woodman;  "but  our  friend's  clothes  are
useless without stuffing."
     "Why not stuff him with money?" asked Tip.
     "Money!" they all cried, in an amazed chorus.
     "To be sure," said the boy. "In the bottom of the nest are  thousands
of dollar bills - and two-dollar bills - and five-dollar bills - and tens,
and twenties, and fifties. There are enough  of  them  to  stuff  a  dozen
Scarecrows. Why not use the money?"
     The Tin Woodman began to turn over the rubbish with the handle of his
axe; and, sure enough, what they had first thought only  worthless  papers
were found to be all bills of various denominations, which the mischievous
Jackdaws had for years been engaged in  stealing  from  the  villages  and
cities they visited.
     There was an immense fortune lying in  that  inaccessible  nest;  and
Tip's suggestion was, with the Scarecrow's consent, quickly acted upon.
     They selected all the newest and cleanest  bills  and  assorted  them
into various piles. The Scarecrow's left leg and boot  were  stuffed  with
fivedollar bills; his right leg was stuffed with ten-dollar bills, and his
body so closely filled with fifties, one-hundreds and  one-thousands  that
he could scarcely button his jacket with comfort.
     "You are now" said the Woggle-Bug, impressively, when  the  task  had
been completed, "the most valuable member of our party;  and  as  you  are
among faithful friends there is little danger of your being spent."
     "Thank you," returned the Scarecrow, gratefully. "I feel like  a  new
man; and although at first glance I might be mistaken for a Safety Deposit
Vault, I beg you to remember that my Brains are still composed of the same
old material. And these are the possessions that have  always  made  me  a
person to be depended upon in an emergency."
     "Well, the emergency is here," observed Tip; "and unless your  brains
help us out of it we shall be compelled to pass the remainder of our lives
in this nest."
     "How about these wishing pills?" enquired the Scarecrow,  taking  the
box from his jacket pocket. "Can't we use them to escape?"
     "Not unless we  can  count  seventeen  by  twos,"  answered  the  Tin
Woodman. "But our friend the Woggle-Bug claims to be highly  educated,  so
he ought easily to figure out how that can be done."
     "It isn't a question of education," returned the Insect; "it's merely
a question of mathematics. I've seen the professor work lots  of  sums  on
the blackboard, and he claimed anything could be done with x's and y's and
a's, and such things, by mixing them up with plenty of plusses and minuses
and equals, and so forth. But he never said anything,  so  far  as  I  can
remember, about counting up to the odd number of  seventeen  by  the  even
numbers of twos."
     "Stop! stop!" cried the Pumpkinhead. "You're making my head ache."
     "And mine," added the Scarecrow. "Your mathematics seem  to  me  very
like a bottle of mixed pickles the more you fish for  what  you  want  the
less chance you have of getting it. I am certain that if the thing can  be
accomplished at all, it is in a very simple manner."
     "Yes," said Tip. "old Mombi couldn't use x's  and  minuses,  for  she
never went to school."
     "Why not start counting at a  half  of  one?"  asked  the  Saw-Horse,
abruptly. "Then anyone can count up to seventeen by twos very easily."
     They looked  at  each  other  in  surprise,  for  the  Saw-Horse  was
considered the most stupid of the entire party.
     "You make me quite ashamed of myself," said the Scarecrow, bowing low
to the Saw-Horse.
     "Nevertheless, the creature is right," declared the  Woggle-Bug;  for
twice one-half is one, and if you get to one it is easy to count from  one
up to seventeen by twos."
     "I wonder I didn't think of that myself," said the Pumpkinhead.
     "I don't," returned the Scarecrow. "You're no wiser than the rest  of
us, are you? But let us make a wish at once. Who will  swallow  the  first
pill?"
     "Suppose you do it," suggested Tip.
     "I can't," said the Scarecrow.
     "Why not? You've a mouth, haven't you?" asked the boy.
     "Yes; but my mouth is painted on, and there's  no  swallow  connected
with it,' answered the Scarecrow. "In fact," he  continued,  looking  from
one to another critically, "I believe the boy and the Woggle-Bug  are  the
only ones in our party that are able to swallow."
     Observing the truth of this remark, Tip said:
     "Then I will undertake to make the first wish. Give  me  one  of  the
Silver Pills."
     This the Scarecrow tried to do; but his padded gloves were too clumsy
to clutch so small an object, and he held the box toward the boy while Tip
selected one of the pills and swallowed it.
     "Count!" cried the Scarecrow.
     "One-half, one, three, five,  seven,  nine,  eleven,!"  counted  Tip.
thirteen, fifteen, seventeen.
     "Now wish!" said the Tin Woodman anxiously:
     But Just then the boy began to suffer  such  fearful  pains  that  he
became alarmed.
     "The pill has poisoned me!" he  gasped;  "O  -  h!  O-o-o-o-o!  Ouch!
Murder! Fire! O-o-h!" and here he rolled upon the bottom of  the  nest  in
such contortions that he frightened them all.
     "What can we do for you. Speak, I beg!" entreated  the  Tin  Woodman,
tears of sympathy running down his nickel cheeks.
     "I - I don't know!" answered Tip. "O - h! I wish I'd never  swallowed
that pill!"
     Then at once the pain stopped, and the boy rose to his feet again and
found the Scarecrow looking with amazement at the end of the pepper-box.
     "What's happened?" asked the boy, a  little  ashamed  of  his  recent
exhibition.
     "Why, the three pills are in the box again!" said the Scarecrow.
     "Of course they are," the Woggle-Bug declared. "Didn't Tip wish  that
he'd never swallowed one of them? Well, the wish came true, and he  didn't
swallow one of them. So of course they are all three in the box."
     "That may be; but the pill gave me a dreadful pain, just  the  same,"
said the boy.
     "Impossible!" declared the Woggle-Bug. "If you have  never  swallowed
it, the pill can not have given you  a  pain.  And  as  your  wish,  being
granted, proves you did not swallow the pill, it is also  plain  that  you
suffered no pain."
     "Then it was a splendid imitation of a pain," retorted Tip,  angrily.
"Suppose you try the next pill yourself. We've wasted one wish already."
     "Oh, no, we haven't!" protested the Scarecrow. "Here are still  three
pills in the box, and each pill is good for a wish."
     "Now you're making my head ache," said Tip. "I can't  understand  the
thing at all. But I won't take another pill, I promise you!" and with this
remark he retired sulkily to the back of the nest.
     "Well," said the Woggle-Bug, "it remains for me to save us in my most
Highly Magnified and Thoroughly Educated manner; for I seem to be the only
one able and willing to make a wish. Let me have one of the pills."
     He swallowed it without hesitation, and they all stood  admiring  his
courage while the Insect counted seventeen by twos in the  same  way  that
Tip had done. And for some  reason  -  perhaps  because  Woggle-Bugs  have
stronger stomachs than  boys  -  the  silver  pellet  caused  it  no  pain
whatever.
     "I wish the Gump's broken wings mended, and as good as new!" said the
Woggle-Bug, in a slow; impressive voice.
     All turned to look at the Thing, and so quickly  had  the  wish  been
granted that the Gump lay before them in perfect repair, and as well  able
to fly through the air as when it had first been brought to  life  on  the
roof of the palace.



        The Scarecrow Appeals to Glenda the Good

     "Hooray!" shouted the  Scarecrow,  gaily.  "We  can  now  leave  this
miserable Jackdaws' nest whenever we please."
     "But it is nearly dark," said the Tin Woodman; "and  unless  we  wait
until morning to make our flight we may get into  more  trouble.  I  don't
like these night trips, for one never knows what will happen."
     So it was decided to wait until daylight, and the adventurers  amused
themselves in the twilight by searching the Jackdaws' nest for treasures.
     The Woggle-Bug found two handsome bracelets of  wrought  gold,  which
fitted his slender arms very well. The Scarecrow took a fancy  for  rings,
of which there were many in the nest. Before long he had fitted a ring  to
each finger of his padded gloves, and not being content with that  display
he added one more to each thumb. As he carefully  chose  those  rings  set
with sparkling stones,  such  as  rubies,  amethysts  and  sapphires,  the
Scarecrow's hands now presented a most brilliant appearance.
     "This nest would be a picnic for Queen Jinjur,"  said  he,  musingly.
"for as nearly as I can make out she and her girls conquered me merely  to
rob my city of its emeralds."
     The Tin Woodman was content with his diamond necklace and refused  to
accept any additional decorations; but Tip  secured  a  fine  gold  watch,
which was attached to a heavy fob, and placed it in his pocket  with  much
pride. He also pinned several jeweled brooches to Jack  Pumpkinhead's  red
waistcoat, and attached a lorgnette, by means of a fine chain, to the neck
of the SawHorse.
     "It's very  pretty,"  said  the  creature,  regarding  the  lorgnette
approvingly; "but what is it for?"
     None of them could answer that question, however;  so  the  Saw-Horse
decided it was some rare decoration and became very fond of it.
     That none of the party might  be  slighted,  they  ended  by  placing
several large seal rings upon the points of the Gump's  antlers,  although
that odd personage seemed by no means gratified by the attention.
     Darkness soon fell upon them, and Tip  and  the  Woggle-Bug  went  to
sleep while the others sat down to wait patiently for the day.
     Next morning they had  cause  to  congratulate  themselves  upon  the
useful condition of the Gump; for with daylight a great flock of  Jackdaws
approached to engage in one more battle for the possession of the nest.
     But our adventurers did not wait for the assault. They  tumbled  into
the cushioned seats of the sofas as quickly as possible, and Tip gave  the
word to the Gump to start.
     At once it rose into the air, the great wings flopping  strongly  and
with regular motions, and in a few moments they were so far from the  nest
that the chattering  Jackdaws  took  possession  without  any  attempt  at
pursuit.
     The Thing flew due North, going in the same direction from whence  it
had come. At least, that was  the  Scarecrow's  opinion,  and  the  others
agreed that the Scarecrow was the best judge of direction.  After  passing
over several cities and villages the Gump carried them high above a  broad
plain where houses became more and more scattered until  they  disappeared
altogether. Next came the wide, sandy desert separating the  rest  of  the
world from the Land of Oz, and before noon they saw the dome-shaped houses
that proved they were once more within the borders of their native land.
     "But the houses and fences are blue," said the Tin Woodman, "and that
indicates we are in the land  of  the  Munchkins,  and  therefore  a  long
distance from Glinda the Good."
     "What shall we do?" asked the boy, turning to their guide.
     "I don't know" replied the Scarecrow, frankly. "If  we  were  at  the
Emerald City we could then move  directly  southward,  and  so  reach  our
destination. But we dare not go to the  Emerald  City,  and  the  Gump  is
probably carrying us further in the wrong direction with every flop of its
wings."
     "Then the Woggle-Bug must swallow another pill," said Tip, decidedly,
"and wish us headed in the right direction."
     "Very well," returned the Highly Magnified one; "I'm willing."
     But when the Scarecrow searched in  his  pocket  for  the  pepper-box
containing the two silver Wishing Pills, it was not to  be  found.  Filled
with anxiety, the voyagers hunted throughout every inch of the  Thing  for
the precious box; but it had disappeared entirely.
     And still the Gump flew onward, carrying them they knew not where.
     "I must have left the pepper-box in the  Jackdaws'  nest,"  said  the
Scarecrow, at length.
     "It is a great misfortune," the Tin Woodman declared. "But we are  no
worse off than before we discovered the Wishing Pills."
     "We are better off," replied Tip. "for  the  one  pill  we  used  has
enabled us to escape from that horrible nest."
     "Yet the loss of the other two is  serious,  and  I  deserve  a  good
scolding for my carelessness," the Scarecrow rejoined, penitently. "For in
such an unusual party as this accidents are liable to happen  any  moment,
and even now we may be approaching a new danger."
     No one dared contradict this, and a dismal silence ensued.
     The Gump flew steadily on.
     Suddenly Tip uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise.  "We  must  have
reached the South Country," he cried, "for below us everything is red!"
     Immediately they all leaned over the backs of the sofas to look - all
except Jack, who was too careful of his pumpkin head to risk its  slipping
off his neck. Sure enough; the red houses and fences and  trees  indicated
they were within the domain of Glinda the Good;  and  presently,  as  they
glided rapidly on, the Tin Woodman recognized the roads and buildings they
passed, and altered slightly the flight of the Gump  so  that  they  might
reach the palace of the celebrated Sorceress.
     "Good!" cried the Scarecrow, delightedly. "We do not  need  the  lost
Wishing Pills now, for we have arrived at our destination."
     Gradually the Thing sank lower and nearer  to  the  ground  until  at
length it came to rest within the beautiful gardens  of  Glinda,  settling
upon a velvety green lawn  close  by  a  fountain  which  sent  sprays  of
flashing gems, instead of water, high into the air, whence they fell  with
a soft, tinkling sound into the carved  marble  basin  placed  to  receive
them.
     Everything was very gorgeous  in  Glinda's  gardens,  and  while  our
voyagers gazed about with admiring eyes a  company  of  soldiers  silently
appeared and surrounded them. But these soldiers of  the  great  Sorceress
were entirely different from those of Jinjur's Army  of  Revolt,  although
they were likewise girls. For Glinda's soldiers  wore  neat  uniforms  and
bore swords and spears; and they marched with a skill and  precision  that
proved them well trained in the arts of war.
     The Captain commanding this troop - which was Glinda's  private  Body
Guard - - recognized the Scarecrow  and  the  Tin  Woodman  at  once,  and
greeted them with respectful salutations.
     "Good day!" said the Scarecrow, gallantly removing his hat, while the
Woodman gave a soldierly salute; "we have come to request an audience with
your fair Ruler."
     "Glinda is  now  within  her  palace,  awaiting  you,"  returned  the
Captain; "for she saw you coming long before you arrived."
     "That is strange!" said Tip, wondering.
     "Not at all," answered the Scarecrow,  "for  Glinda  the  Good  is  a
mighty Sorceress, and nothing that goes on in the Land of Oz  escapes  her
notice. I suppose she knows why we came as well as we do ourselves."
     "Then what was the use of our coming?" asked Jack, stupidly.
     "To prove you are a Pumpkinhead!" retorted the  Scarecrow.  "But,  if
the Sorceress expects us, we must not keep her waiting."
     So they all clambered out of  the  sofas  and  followed  the  Captain
toward the palace - even the Saw-Horse  taking  his  place  in  the  queer
procession.
     Upon her throne of finely wrought gold  sat  Glinda,  and  she  could
scarcely repress a smile as her peculiar visitors entered and bowed before
her. Both the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman she knew and  liked;  but  the
awkward Pumpkinhead and Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug were creatures she had
never seen before, and they seemed even more curious than the  others.  As
for the Saw-Horse, he looked to be nothing more than an animated chunk  of
wood; and he bowed so stiffly that his  head  bumped  against  the  floor,
causing a ripple of laughter among the soldiers, in which  Glinda  frankly
joined.
     "I beg to announce to your glorious highness," began  the  Scarecrow,
in a solemn voice, "that my Emerald City has been overrun by  a  crowd  of
impudent girls with knitting-needles,  who  have  enslaved  all  the  men,
robbed the streets and public buildings of all their emerald  jewels,  and
usurped my throne."
     "I know it," said Glinda.
     "They also threatened to destroy me, as well as all the good  friends
and allies you see before you," continued the Scarecrow. "and had  we  not
managed to escape their clutches our days would long since have ended."
     "I know it," repeated Glinda.
     "Therefore  I  have  come  to  beg  your  assistance,"  resumed   the
Scarecrow, "for I believe you are always glad to  succor  the  unfortunate
and oppressed."
     "That is true," replied the Sorceress, slowly. "But the Emerald  City
is now ruled by General Jinjur, who has caused herself  to  be  proclaimed
Queen. What right have I to oppose her?"
     "Why, she stole the throne from me," said the Scarecrow.
     "And how came you to possess the throne?" asked Glinda.
     "I got it from the Wizard of Oz, and by the choice  of  the  people,"
returned the Scarecrow, uneasy at such questioning.
     "And where did the Wizard get it?" she continued gravely.
     "I am told he took it from  Pastoria,  the  former  King,"  said  the
Scarecrow, becoming confused under the intent look of the Sorceress.
     "Then,