Tik Tok of Oz
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L. Frank Baum >> Tik Tok of Oz
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"Don't tell me it was an accident," continued
the Rak, reproachfully, as it still flapped its
wings in a helpless manner. "Don't claim you
didn't know the gun was loaded, I beg of you!"
"I don't intend to," replied Files. "Did the
bullets hurt you very badly?"
"One has broken my jaw, so that I can't open
my mouth. You will notice that my voice sounds
rather harsh and husky, because I have to talk
with my teeth set close together. Another bullet
broke my left wing, so that I can't fly; and still
another broke my right leg, so that I can't walk.
It was the most careless shot I ever heard of!"
"Can't you manage to lift your body off from
my commanding officers?" inquired Files. "From
their cries I'm afraid your great weight is
crushing them."
"I hope it is," growled the Rak. "I want to
crush them, if possible, for I have a bad
disposition. If only I could open my mouth, I'd
eat all of you, although my appetite is poorly
this warm weather."
With this the Rak began to roll its immense
body sidewise, so as to crush the officers more
easily; but in doing this it rolled completely off
from them and the entire sixteen scrambled to
their feet and made off as fast as they could run.
Private Files could not see them go but he
knew from the sound of their voices that they had
escaped, so he ceased to worry about them.
"Pardon me if I now bid you good-bye," he
said to the Rak. "The parting is caused by our
desire to continue our journey. If you die, do
not blame me, for I was obliged to shoot you
as a matter of self-protection."
"I shall not die," answered the monster, "for I
bear a charmed life. But I beg you not to leave
me!"
"Why not?" asked Files.
"Because my broken jaw will heal in about an
hour, and then I shall be able to eat you. My wing
will heal in a day and my leg will heal in a week,
when I shall be as well as ever. Having shot me,
and so caused me all this annoyance, it is only
fair and just that you remain here and allow me to
eat you as soon as I can open my jaws."
"I beg to differ with you," returned the soldier
firmly. "I have made an engagement with Queen
Ann of Oogaboo to help her conquer the world,
and I cannot break my word for the sake of being
eaten by a Rak."
"Oh; that's different," said the monster. "If
you've an engagement, don't let me detain you."
So Files felt around in the dark and grasped
the hand of the trembling Queen, whom he led
away from the flapping, sighing Rak. They
stumbled over the stones for a way but presently
began to see dimly the path ahead of them, as
they got farther and farther away from the
dreadful spot where the wounded monster lay.
By and by they reached a little hill and could
see the last rays of the sun flooding a pretty
valley beyond, for now they had passed beyond
the cloudy breath of the Rak. Here were huddled
the sixteen officers, still frightened and panting
from their run. They had halted only because
it was impossible for them to run any farther.
Queen Ann gave them a severe scolding for
their cowardice, at the same time praising Files
for his courage.
"We are wiser than he, however," muttered
General Clock, "for by running away we are
now able to assist Your Majesty in conquering
the world; whereas, had Files been eaten by the
Rak, he would have deserted your Army."
After a brief rest they descended into the
valley, and as soon as they were out of sight of
the Rak the spirits of the entire party rose
quickly. Just at dusk they came to a brook, on
the banks of which Queen Ann commanded
them to make camp for the night.
Each officer carried in his pocket a tiny white
tent. This, when placed upon the ground, quickly
grew in size until it was large enough to permit
the owner to enter it and sleep within its canvas
walls. Files was obliged to carry a knapsack, in
which was not only his own tent but an elaborate
pavilion for Queen Ann, besides a bed and chair
and a magic table. This table, when set upon the
ground in Ann's pavilion, became of large size,
and in a drawer of the table was contained the
Queen's supply of extra clothing, her manicure and
toilet articles and other necessary things. The
royal bed was the only one in the camp, the
officers and private sleeping in hammocks attached
to their tent poles.
There was also in the knapsack a flag bearing
the royal emblem of Oogaboo, and this flag Files
flew upon its staff every night, to show that the
country they were in had been conquered by the
Queen of Oogaboo. So far, no one but themselves
had seen the flag, but Ann was pleased to see it
flutter in the breeze and considered herself
already a famous conqueror.
Chapter Four
Betsy Braves the Billows
The waves dashed and the lightning flashed and the
thunder rolled and the ship struck a rock. Betsy
Bobbin was running across the deck and the shock
sent her flying through the air until she fell
with a splash into the dark blue water. The same
shock caught Hank, a thin little, sad-faced mule,
and tumbled him also into the sea, far from the
ship's side.
When Betsy came up, gasping for breath because
the wet plunge had surprised her, she reached out
in the dark and grabbed a bunch of hair. At first
she thought it was the end of a rope, but
presently she heard a dismal "Hee-haw!" and knew
she was holding fast to the end of Hank's tail.
Suddenly the sea was lighted up by a vivid
glare. The ship, now in the far distance, caught
fire, blew up and sank beneath the waves.
Betsy shuddered at the sight, but just then
her eye caught a mass of wreckage floating near
her and she let go the mule's tail and seized the
rude raft, pulling herself up so that she rode
upon it in safety. Hank also saw the raft and
swam to it, but he was so clumsy he never would
have been able to climb upon it had not Betsy
helped him to get aboard.
They had to crowd close together, for their
support was only a hatch-cover torn from the
ship's deck; but it floated them fairly well and
both the girl and the mule knew it would keep
them from drowning.
The storm was not over, by any means, when the
ship went down. Blinding bolts of lightning shot
from cloud to cloud and the clamor of deep
thunderclaps echoed far over the sea. The waves
tossed the little raft here and there as a child
tosses a rubber ball and Betsy had a solemn
feeling that for hundreds of watery miles in every
direction there was no living thing besides
herself and the small donkey.
Perhaps Hank had the same thought, for he gently
rubbed his nose against the frightened girl and
said "Hee-haw!" in his softest voice, as if to
comfort her.
"You'll protect me, Hank dear, won't you?" she
cried helplessly, and the mule said "Hee-haw!"
again, in tones that meant a promise.
On board the ship, during the days that preceded
the wreck, when the sea was calm, Betsy and Hank
had become good friends; so, while the girl might
have preferred a more powerful protector in this
dreadful emergency, she felt that the mule would
do all in a mule's power to guard her safety.
All night they floated, and when the storm had
worn itself out and passed away with a few distant
growls, and the waves had grown smaller and easier
to ride, Betsy stretched herself out on the wet
raft and fell asleep.
Hank did not sleep a wink. Perhaps he felt it
his duty to guard Betsy. Anyhow, he crouched
on the raft beside the tired sleeping girl and
watched patiently until the first light of dawn
swept over the sea.
The light wakened Betsy Bobbin. She sat up,
rubbed her eyes and stared across the water.
"Oh, Hank; there's land ahead!" she exclaimed.
"Hee-haw!" answered Hank in his plaintive voice.
The raft was floating swiftly toward a very
beautiful country and as they drew near Betsy
could see banks of lovely flowers showing brightly
between leafy trees. But no people were to be seen
at all.
Chapter Five
The Roses Repulse the Refugees
Gently the raft grated on the sandy beach. Then
Betsy easily waded ashore, the mule following
closely behind her. The sun was now shining and
the air was warm and laden with the fragrance of
roses.
"I'd like some breakfast, Hank," remarked the
girl, feeling more cheerful now that she was on
dry land; "but we can't eat the flowers, although
they do smell mighty good."
"Hee-haw!" replied Hank and trotted up a little
pathway to the top of the bank.
Betsy followed and from the eminence looked
around her. A little way off stood a splendid big
greenhouse, its thousands of crystal panes
glittering in the sunlight.
"There ought to be people somewhere 'round,"
observed Betsy thoughtfully; "gardeners, or
somebody. Let's go and see, Hank. I'm getting
hungrier ev'ry minute."
So they walked toward the great greenhouse and
came to its entrance without meeting with anyone
at all. A door stood ajar, so Hank went in first,
thinking if there was any danger he could back out
and warn his companion. But Betsy was close at his
heels and the moment she entered was lost in
amazement at the wonderful sight she saw.
The greenhouse was filled with magnificent
rosebushes, all growing in big pots. On the
central stem of each bush bloomed a splendid Rose,
gorgeously colored and deliciously fragrant, and
in the center of each Rose was the face of a
lovely girl.
As Betsy and Hank entered, the heads of the
Roses were drooping and their eyelids were closed
in slumber; but the mule was so amazed that he
uttered a loud "Hee-haw!" and at the sound of his
harsh voice the rose leaves fluttered, the Roses
raised their heads and a hundred startled eyes
were instantly fixed upon the intruders.
"I--I beg your pardon!" stammered Betsy,
blushing and confused.
"O-o-o-h!" cried the Roses, in a sort of sighing
chorus; and one of them added: "What a horrid
noise!"
"Why, that was only Hank," said Betsy, and as if
to prove the truth of her words the mule uttered
another loud "Hee-haw!"
At this all the Roses turned on their stems as
far as they were able and trembled as if some one
were shaking their bushes. A dainty Moss Rose
gasped: "Dear me! How dreadfully dreadful!"
"It isn't dreadful at all," said Betsy, somewhat
indignant. "When you get used to Hank's voice it
will put you to sleep."
The Roses now looked at the mule less fearfully
and one of them asked:
"Is that savage beast named Hank?"
"Yes; Hank's my comrade, faithful and true,"
answered the girl, twining her arms around the
little mule's neck and hugging him tight. "Aren't
you, Hank?"
Hank could only say in reply: "Hee-haw!" and at
his bray the Roses shivered again.
"Please go away!" begged one. "Can't you see
you're frightening us out of a week's growth?"
"Go away!" echoed Betsy. "Why, we've no place to
go. We've just been wrecked."
"Wrecked?" asked the Roses in a surprised
chorus.
"Yes; we were on a big ship and the storm came
and wrecked it," explained the girl. "But Hank and
I caught hold of a raft and floated ashore to this
place, and--we're tired and hungry. What country
is this, please?"
"This is the Rose Kingdom," replied the Moss
Rose, haughtily, "and it is devoted to the culture
of the rarest and fairest Roses grown."
"I believe it," said Betsy, admiring the pretty
blossoms.
"But only Roses are allowed here," continued a
delicate Tea Rose, bending her brows in a frown;
"therefore you must go away before the Royal
Gardener finds you and casts you back into the
sea."
"Oh! Is there a Royal Gardener, then?" inquired
Betsy.
"To be sure."
"And is he a Rose, also?"
"Of course not; he's a man--a wonderful man,"
was the reply.
"Well, I'm not afraid of a man," declared the
girl, much relieved, and even as she spoke the
Royal Gardener popped into the greenhouse--a
spading fork in one hand and a watering pot in the
other.
He was a funny little man, dressed in a rose-
colored costume, with ribbons at his knees and
elbows, and a bunch of ribbons in his hair. His
eyes were small and twinkling, his nose sharp and
his face puckered and deeply lined.
"O-ho!" he exclaimed, astonished to find
strangers in his greenhouse, and when Hank gave a
loud bray the Gardener threw the watering pot over
the mule's head and danced around with his fork,
in such agitation that presently he fell over the
handle of the implement and sprawled at full
length upon the ground.
Betsy laughed and pulled the watering pot off
from Hank's head. The little mule was angry at the
treatment he had received and backed toward the
Gardener threateningly.
"Look out for his heels!" called Betsy warningly
and the Gardener scrambled to his feet and hastily
hid behind the Roses.
"You are breaking the Law!" he shouted, sticking
out his head to glare at the girl and the mule.
"What Law?" asked Betsy.
"The Law of the Rose Kingdom. No strangers
are allowed in these domains."
"Not when they're shipwrecked?" she inquired.
"The Law doesn't except shipwrecks," replied
the Royal Gardener, and he was about to say
more when suddenly there was a crash of glass
and a man came tumbling through the roof of
the greenhouse and fell plump to the ground.
Chapter Six
Shaggy Seeks his Stray Brother
This sudden arrival was a queer looking man,
dressed all in garments so shaggy that Betsy at
first thought he must be some animal. But the
stranger ended his fall in a sitting position and
then the girl saw it was really a man. He held an
apple in his hand, which he had evidently been
eating when he fell, and so little was he jarred
or flustered by the accident that he continued to
munch this apple as he calmly looked around him.
"Good gracious!" exclaimed Betsy, approaching
him. "Who are you, and where did you come from?"
"Me? Oh, I'm Shaggy Man," said he, taking
another bite of the apple. "Just dropped in for a
short call. Excuse my seeming haste."
"Why, I s'pose you couldn't help the haste,"
said Betsy.
"No. I climbed an apple tree, outside; branch
gave way and--here I am."
As he spoke the Shaggy Man finished his apple,
gave the core to Hank--who ate it greedily --and
then stood up to bow politely to Betsy and the
Roses.
The Royal Gardener had been frightened nearly
into fits by the crash of glass and the fall of
the shaggy stranger into the bower of Roses, but
now he peeped out from behind a bush and cried in
his squeaky voice:
"You're breaking the Law! You're breaking the
Law!"
Shaggy stared at him solemnly.
"Is the glass the Law in this country?" he
asked.
"Breaking the glass is breaking the Law,"
squeaked the Gardener, angrily. "Also, to intrude
in any part of the Rose Kingdom is breaking the
Law."
"How do you know?" asked Shaggy.
"Why, it's printed in a book," said the
Gardener, coming forward and taking a small book
from his pocket. "Page thirteen. Here it is: 'If
any stranger enters the Rose Kingdom he shall at
once be condemned by the Ruler and put to death.'
So you see, strangers," he continued triumphantly,
"it's death for you all and your time has come!"
But just here Hank interposed. He had been
stealthily backing toward the Royal Gardener, whom
he disliked, and now the mule's heels shot out and
struck the little man in the middle. He doubled up
like the letter "U" and flew out of the door so
swiftly--never touching the ground --that he was
gone before Betsy had time to wink.
But the mule's attack frightened the girl.
"Come," she whispered, approaching the Shaggy
Man and taking his hand; "let's go somewhere else.
They'll surely kill us if we stay here!"
"Don't worry, my dear," replied Shaggy, patting
the child's head. "I'm not afraid of anything, so
long as I have the Love Magnet."
"The Love Magnet! Why, what is that?" asked
Betsy.
"It's a charming little enchantment that wins
the heart of everyone who looks upon it," was
the reply. "The Love Magnet used to hang over
the gateway to the Emerald City, in the Land
of Oz; but when I started on this journey our
beloved Ruler, Ozma of Oz, allowed me to take
it with me."
"Oh!" cried Betsy, staring hard at him; "are
you really from the wonderful Land of Oz?"
"Yes. Ever been there, my dear?"
"No; but I've heard about it. And do you know
Princess Ozma?"
"Very well indeed."
"And--and Princess Dorothy?"
"Dorothy's an old chum of mine," declared
Shaggy.
"Dear me!" exclaimed Betsy. "And why did
you ever leave such a beautiful land as Oz?"
"On an errand," said Shaggy, looking sad and
solemn. "I'm trying to find my dear little
brother."
"Oh! Is he lost?" questioned Betsy, feeling
very sorry for the poor man.
"Been lost these ten years," replied Shaggy,
taking out a handkerchief and wiping a tear from
his eye. "I didn't know it until lately, when I
saw it recorded in the magic Record Book of
the Sorceress Glinda, in the Land of Oz. So
now I'm trying to find him."
"Where was he lost?" asked the girl
sympathetically.
"Back in Colorado, where I used to live before I
went to Oz. Brother was a miner, and dug gold out
of a mine. One day he went into his mine and never
came out. They searched for him, but he was not
there. Disappeared entirely," Shaggy ended
miserably.
"For goodness sake! What do you s'pose became of
him?" she asked.
"There is only one explanation," replied
Shaggy, taking another apple from his pocket
and eating it to relieve his misery. "The Nome
King probably got him."
"The Nome King! Who is he?"
"Why, he's sometimes called the Metal Monarch,
and his name is Ruggedo. Lives in some underground
cavern. Claims to own all the metals hidden in the
earth. Don't ask me why."
"Why?"
"Cause I don't know. But this Ruggedo gets
wild with anger if anyone digs gold out of the
earth, and my private opinion is that he captured
brother and carried him off to his underground
kingdom. No--don't ask me why. I see you're
dying to ask me why. But I don't know."
"But--dear me!--in that case you will never
find your lost brother!" exclaimed the girl.
"Maybe not; but it's my duty to try," answered
Shaggy. "I've wandered so far without finding
him, but that only proves he is not where I've
been looking. What I seek now is the hidden
passage to the underground cavern of the terrible
Metal Monarch."
"Well," said Betsy doubtfully, "it strikes me
that if you ever manage to get there the Metal
Monarch will make you, too, his prisoner."
"Nonsense!" answered Shaggy, carelessly.
"You mustn't forget the Love Magnet."
"What about it?" she asked.
"When the fierce Metal Monarch sees the Love
Magnet, he will love me dearly and do anything I
ask."
"It must be wonderful," said Betsy, with awe.
"It is," the man assured her. "Shall I show it
to you?"
"Oh, do!" she cried; so Shaggy searched in his
shaggy pocket and drew out a small silver magnet,
shaped like a horseshoe.
The moment Betsy saw it she began to like the
Shaggy Man better than before. Hank also saw
the Magnet and crept up to Shaggy to rub his
head lovingly against the man's knee.
But they were interrupted by the Royal Gardener,
who stuck his head into the greenhouse and shouted
angrily:
"You are all condemned to death! Your only
chance to escape is to leave here instantly."
This startled little Betsy, but the Shaggy Man
merely waved the Magnet toward the Gardener, who,
seeing it, rushed forward and threw himself at
Shaggy's feet, murmuring in honeyed words:
"Oh, you lovely, lovely man! How fond I am of
you! Every shag and bobtail that decorates you is
dear to me--all I have is yours! But for goodness'
sake get out of here before you die the death."
"I'm not going to die," declared Shaggy Man.
"You must. It's the Law," exclaimed the
Gardener, beginning to weep real tears. "It breaks
my heart to tell you this bad news, but the Law
says that all strangers must be condemned by the
Ruler to die the death."
"No Ruler has condemned us yet," said Betsy.
"Of course not," added Shaggy. "We haven't
even seen the Ruler of the Rose Kingdom."
"Well, to tell the truth," said the Gardener, in
a perplexed tone of voice, "we haven't any real
Ruler, just now. You see, all our Rulers grow on
bushes in the Royal Gardens, and the last one we
had got mildewed and withered before his time. So
we had to plant him, and at this time there is no
one growing on the Royal Bushes who is ripe enough
to pick."
"How do you know?" asked Betsy.
"Why, I'm the Royal Gardener. Plenty of
royalties are growing, I admit; but just now they
are all green. Until one ripens, I am supposed to
rule the Rose Kingdom myself, and see that its
Laws are obeyed. Therefore, much as I love you,
Shaggy, I must put you to death."
"Wait a minute," pleaded Betsy. "I'd like to
see those Royal Gardens before I die."
"So would I," added Shaggy Man. "Take us there,
Gardener."
"Oh, I can't do that," objected the Gardener.
But Shaggy again showed him the Love Magnet
and after one glance at it the Gardener could
no longer resist.
He led Shaggy, Betsy and Hank to the end
of the great greenhouse and carefully unlocked
a small door. Passing through this they came
into the splendid Royal Garden of the Rose
Kingdom.
It was all surrounded by a tall hedge and within
the enclosure grew several enormous rosebushes
having thick green leaves of the texture of
velvet. Upon these bushes grew the members of the
Royal Family of the Rose Kingdom--men, women and
children in all stages of maturity. They all
seemed to have a light green hue, as if unripe or
not fully developed, their flesh and clothing
being alike green. They stood perfectly lifeless
upon their branches, which swayed softly in the
breeze, and their wide open eyes stared straight
ahead, unseeing and unintelligent.
While examining these curious growing people,
Betsy passed behind a big central bush and at once
uttered an exclamation of surprise and pleasure.
For there, blooming in perfect color and shape,
stood a Royal Princess, whose beauty was amazing.
"Why, she's ripe!" cried Betsy, pushing aside
some of the broad leaves to observe her more
clearly.
"Well, perhaps so," admitted the Gardener,
who had come to the girl's side; "but she's a girl,
and so we can't use her for a Ruler."
"No, indeed!" came a chorus of soft voices,
and looking around Betsy discovered that all the
Roses had followed them from the greenhouse
and were now grouped before the entrance.
"You see," explained the Gardener, "the subjects
of Rose Kingdom don't want a girl Ruler. They want
a King."
"A King! We want a King!" repeated the
chorus of Roses.
"Isn't she Royal?" inquired Shaggy, admiring
the lovely Princess.
"Of course, for she grows on a Royal Bush.
This Princess is named Ozga, as she is a distant
cousin of Ozma of Oz; and, were she but a man,
we would joyfully hail her as our Ruler."
The Gardener then turned away to talk with
his Roses and Betsy whispered to her companion:
"Let's pick her, Shaggy."
"All right," said he. "If she's royal, she has
the right to rule this Kingdom, and if we pick
her she will surely protect us and prevent our
being hurt, or driven away."
So Betsy and Shaggy each took an arm of the
beautiful Rose Princess and a little twist of her
feet set her free of the branch upon which she
grew. Very gracefully she stepped down from
the bush to the ground, where she bowed low
to Betsy and Shaggy and said in a delightfully
sweet voice: "I thank you."
But at the sound of these words the Gardener and
the Roses turned and discovered that the Princess
had been picked, and was now alive. Over every
face flashed an expression of resentment and
anger, and one of the Roses cried aloud.
"Audacious mortals! What have you done?"
"Picked a Princess for you, that's all," replied
Betsy, cheerfully.
"But we won't have her! We want a King!"
exclaimed a Jacque Rose, and another added with a
voice of scorn: "No girl shall rule over us!"
The newly-picked Princess looked from one to
another of her rebellious subjects in
astonishment. A grieved look came over her
exquisite features.
"Have I no welcome here, pretty subjects?" she
asked gently. "Have I not come from my Royal Bush
to be your Ruler?"
"You were picked by mortals, without our
consent," replied the Moss Rose, coldly; "so we
refuse to allow you to rule us."
"Turn her out, Gardener, with the others!" cried
the Tea Rose.
"Just a second, please!" called Shaggy, taking
the Love Magnet from his pocket. "I guess this
will win their love, Princess. Here--take it in
your hand and let the roses see it."
Princess Ozga took the Magnet and held it
poised before the eyes of her subjects; but the
Roses regarded it with calm disdain.
"Why, what's the matter?" demanded Shaggy in
surprise. "The Magnet never failed to work
before!"
"I know," said Betsy, nodding her head wisely.
"These Roses have no hearts."
"That's it," agreed the Gardener. "They're
pretty, and sweet, and alive; but still they are
Roses. Their stems have thorns, but no hearts."
The Princess sighed and handed the Magnet
to the Shaggy Man.
"What shall I do?" she asked sorrowfully.
"Turn her out, Gardener, with the others!"
commanded the Roses. "We will have no Ruler until
a man-rose--a King--is ripe enough to pick."
"Very well," said the Gardener meekly. "You must
excuse me, my dear Shaggy, for opposing your
wishes, but you and the others, including Ozga,
must get out of Rose Kingdom immediately, if not
before."
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