The Oz Series
Chapter 22
Part of the Dorothy's Journey to the Wizard and Back to Kansas arc.
What happens
The four travelers pass safely through the rest of the forest and, emerging from its gloom, see a steep hill covered from top to bottom with great pieces of rock. The Scarecrow leads the way, but as they near the first rock a rough voice cries "Keep back!" and a flat-topped head shows itself, declaring the hill belongs to them and no one may cross it. When the Scarecrow insists they must cross to reach the country of the Quadlings, the strangest man the travelers have ever seen steps out: short, stout, with a big flat-topped head on a thick wrinkled neck and no arms at all. Seeing the creature is armless, the Scarecrow walks boldly forward, but the man's head shoots forward on its stretching neck and strikes the Scarecrow in the middle, sending him tumbling down the hill, then snaps back. Boisterous laughter comes from hundreds of these armless Hammer-Heads hidden behind the rocks. The angry Lion roars and dashes up the hill, but another head shoots out and sends him rolling down like a cannon ball. The bruised Lion tells Dorothy it is useless to fight people with shooting heads.
The Tin Woodman suggests calling the Winged Monkeys, since Dorothy still has one command left. She puts on the Golden Cap, utters the magic words, and the Monkeys arrive promptly; their King asks her command and she asks to be carried over the hill to the country of the Quadlings. The Monkeys catch up the four travelers and Toto and fly over the hill while the Hammer-Heads yell with vexation and shoot their heads high but cannot reach them, setting the party down in the beautiful country of the Quadlings. The leader announces this is the last time Dorothy can summon them and bids her good-bye, and the Monkeys vanish. The Quadling country is rich and happy, with fields of ripening grain, well-paved roads, rippling brooks, and strong bridges, everything painted bright red as it was yellow among the Winkies and blue among the Munchkins. The short, fat, good-natured Quadlings are dressed all in red. The Monkeys set them near a farmhouse, where the farmer's wife gives them a good dinner of three kinds of cake, four kinds of cookies, and milk for Toto, and directs them to take the road South to reach the Castle of Glinda. They walk to a beautiful Castle guarded by three young girls in red uniforms trimmed with gold braid; after Dorothy gives her name and states she has come to see the Good Witch, a girl soldier goes inside and returns to admit Dorothy and the others at once.
Who is in play
- Dorothy
- Cowardly Lion
- Tin Woodman
- Glinda
- Scarecrow
- Dorothy's Traveling Party
- Golden Cap
- Winged Monkeys
- Munchkins
- Toto
- the Castle of Glinda
- leader of the Winged Monkeys
- the Hammer-Heads
- the Land of the South
- the hill of the Hammer-Heads
- Winkies