The Oz Series
Chapter 75
Part of the Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz: The Underground World arc.
What happens
When the Wizard awakes the six colored suns still shine as they had since his arrival; rested, he finds Zeb yawning on his bench and asks him to fetch from the balloon's basket-car his satchel, two lanterns, and a can of kerosene oil under the seat, since the balloon is useless in this country. Zeb goes willingly, and by his return Dorothy is awake. The three hold a counsel but can think of no way to better their condition. Dorothy dislikes the vegetable people, finding them cold and flabby like cabbages despite their prettiness; the Wizard attributes this to their lack of warm blood, and Zeb notes they have no hearts and cannot love. Dorothy admits that although the Princess is lovely to look at, she does not care for her and wishes there were another place to go, though no one knows of one.
Jim the cab-horse calls to them, and going to the dome doorway they find the Princess and a throng of her people have entered the House of the Sorcerer. The beautiful vegetable lady informs them she has consulted her advisors and decided the meat people do not belong in the Land of the Mangaboos and must not remain. When Dorothy asks how they can go away, the Princess says they cannot, so they must be destroyed: the three people will be thrown into the Garden of the Twining Vines to be crushed and devoured to make the vines grow, while the animals will be driven to the mountains and put into the Black Pit, ridding the country of all unwelcome visitors.
The Wizard argues the Mangaboos need a Sorcerer, since none growing is yet ripe, and claims to be greater than any thorn-covered sorcerer that ever grew in their garden. The Princess acknowledges they need a Sorcerer but says one of their own will be ready to pick in a few days to replace Gwig, whom the Wizard cut in two before his time; she demands to see the Wizard's arts before deciding whether to destroy him. The Wizard repeats his trick of producing and vanishing the nine tiny piglets very cleverly, and though the Princess appears astonished, she dismisses it as accomplishing nothing of value and asks what else he can do. The Wizard balances his jointed sword on the end of his nose, but this too fails to satisfy her.
The Wizard's eye falls on the lanterns and kerosene can Zeb brought, giving him a clever idea. He announces he will create two suns the Mangaboos have never seen and exhibit a Destroyer more dreadful than their Clinging Vines. He places Dorothy on one side and Zeb on the other, sets a lantern on each of their heads, whispers to them not to laugh, and lights the two lanterns with a match; though their glare is small beside the six colored suns, the Mangaboos are impressed, never having seen light not from their suns. He then pours a broad pool of kerosene oil onto the glass floor and lights it, sending up a hundred tongues of flame. The Wizard challenges those advisors who wished to throw them into the Garden of Clinging Vines to step within the circle of light, claiming the righteous will not be injured but wrongful advisors will wither. Commanded by the Princess, the advisors step into the flame one by one and are scorched so badly the air smells of baked potatoes, some falling and having to be dragged out, all so withered they must be planted at once.
The Princess declares the Wizard greater than any Sorcerer they have known and, since her people advised her wrongly, spares the three people from the Garden of the Clinging Vines, but decrees the animals must still be driven into the mountain's Black Pit. The Wizard, pleased to have saved the children and himself, says nothing against this, but Jim and Eureka protest, and Dorothy promises to try to save them. For two or three days the friends are undisturbed, permitted to occupy the House of the Sorcerer and wander the gardens for food; once they walk high in the air over the enclosed Garden of the Clinging Vines and see a mass of tough green vines writhing and crushing everything they touch, and are thankful to have escaped. When the Wizard sleeps, he lets the nine tiny piglets run about, and one time they wander through his ajar glass door into the great dome, walking through the air, and find Eureka lying beside Jim, whereupon they frisk and play with the kitten while the approving cab-horse watches, warning Eureka not to be rough.
Suddenly the room fills with silent, solemn-eyed Mangaboos, each bearing a branch of sharp thorns thrust defiantly toward the horse, kitten, and piglets. Jim roars in protest but, pricked once or twice, gets to his feet and keeps clear of the thorns. The Mangaboos surround them in solid ranks, leaving an opening to the doorway, and drive the animals out into the street and through the city and gardens toward the mountain, Jim careful not to step on the piglets scampering under his feet while Eureka snarls and bites at the thorns to protect the little pigs. When Jim asks what it means, Eureka explains they are being driven toward the Black Pit, and urges that if she were as big as Jim she would fight these turnip-roots with her long legs and iron-shod hoofs. Jim agrees, suddenly backs into the crowd, and kicks out his hind legs, smashing a dozen Mangaboos to the ground; he charges repeatedly, knocking them in all directions, while Eureka flies into the enemy's faces scratching and biting and ruining so many vegetable complexions that the Mangaboos fear her as much as the horse. But the foes are too many; they tire out Jim and Eureka, and although the battlefield is thickly covered with mashed and disabled Mangaboos, the animal friends must give up at last and allow themselves to be driven to the mountain.
Who is in play
- Dorothy
- Gwig
- underground_traveling_party
- Zeb
- Garden of the Clinging Vines
- Jim
- Land of the Mangaboos
- Mangaboos
- Oz
- the balloon
- the Royal Princess
- Eureka
- the Black Pit
- the House of the Sorcerer
- a can of kerosene oil
- the nine tiny piglets