AbdulHannanMujawar/ch_development · Datasets at Hugging Face

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cold and flabby, like cabbages, in spite of their prettiness."

"I agree with you. It is because there is no warm blood in them,"
remarked the Wizard.

"And they have no hearts; so they can't love anyone--not even
themselves," declared the boy.

"The Princess is lovely to look at," continued Dorothy, thoughtfully;
"but I don't care much for her, after all. If there was any other place
to go, I'd like to go there."

"But _is_ there any other place?" asked the Wizard.

"I don't know," she answered.

Just then they heard the big voice of Jim the cab-horse calling to them,
and going to the doorway leading to the dome they found the Princess and
a throng of her people had entered the House of the Sorcerer.

So they went down to greet the beautiful vegetable lady, who said to
them:

"I have been talking with my advisors about you meat people, and we have
decided that you do not belong in the Land of the Mangaboos and must not
remain here."

"How can we go away?" asked Dorothy.

"Oh, you cannot go away, of course; so you must be destroyed," was the
answer.

"In what way?" enquired the Wizard.

"We shall throw you three people into the Garden of the Twining Vines,"
said the Princess, "and they will soon crush you and devour your bodies
to make themselves grow bigger. The animals you have with you we will
drive to the mountains and put into the Black Pit. Then our country will
be rid of all its unwelcome visitors."

"But you are in need of a Sorcerer," said the Wizard, "and not one of
those growing is yet ripe enough to pick. I am greater than any
thorn-covered sorcerer that ever grew in your garden. Why destroy me?"

"It is true we need a Sorcerer," acknowledged the Princess, "but I am
informed that one of our own will be ready to pick in a few days, to
take the place of Gwig, whom you cut in two before it was time for him
to be planted. Let us see your arts, and the sorceries you are able to
perform. Then I will decide whether to destroy you with the others or
not."

At this the Wizard made a bow to the people and repeated his trick of
producing the nine tiny piglets and making them disappear again. He did
it very cleverly, indeed, and the Princess looked at the strange
piglets as if she were as truly astonished as any vegetable person could
be. But afterward she said:

"I have heard of this wonderful magic. But it accomplishes nothing of
value. What else can you do?"

The Wizard tried to think. Then he jointed together the blades of his
sword and balanced it very skillfully upon the end of his nose. But even
that did not satisfy the Princess.

Just then his eye fell upon the lanterns and the can of kerosene oil
which Zeb had brought from the car of his balloon, and he got a clever
idea from those commonplace things.

"Your Highness," said he, "I will now proceed to prove my magic by
creating two suns that you have never seen before; also I will exhibit a
Destroyer much more dreadful than your Clinging Vines."

So he placed Dorothy upon one side of him and the boy upon the other and
set a lantern upon each of their heads.

"Don't laugh," he whispered to them, "or you will spoil the effect of my
magic."

[Illustration: "NOW, PRINCESS," EXCLAIMED THE WIZARD.]

Then, with much dignity and a look of vast importance upon his wrinkled
face, the Wizard got out his match-box and lighted the two lanterns. The
glare they made was very small when compared with the radiance of the
six great colored suns; but still they gleamed steadily and clearly. The
Mangaboos were much impressed because they had never before seen any
light that did not come directly from their suns.

Next the Wizard poured a pool of oil from the can upon the glass floor,
where it covered quite a broad surface. When he lighted the oil a
hundred tongues of flame shot up, and the effect was really imposing.

"Now, Princess," exclaimed the Wizard, "those of your advisors who
wished to throw us into the Garden of Clinging Vines must step within
this circle of light. If they advised you well, and were in the right,
they will not be injured in any way. But if any advised you wrongly, the
light will wither him."

The advisors of the Princess did not like this test; but she commanded
them to step into the flame and one by one they did so, and were
scorched so badly that the air was soon filled with an odor like that of

cold and flabby, like cabbages, in spite of their prettiness."

"I agree with you. It is because there is no warm blood in them,"

remarked the Wizard.

"And they have no hearts; so they can't love anyone--not even

themselves," declared the boy.

"The Princess is lovely to look at," continued Dorothy, thoughtfully;

"but I don't care much for her, after all. If there was any other place

to go, I'd like to go there."

"But _is_ there any other place?" asked the Wizard.

"I don't know," she answered.

Just then they heard the big voice of Jim the cab-horse calling to them,

and going to the doorway leading to the dome they found the Princess and

a throng of her people had entered the House of the Sorcerer.

So they went down to greet the beautiful vegetable lady, who said to

them:

"I have been talking with my advisors about you meat people, and we have

decided that you do not belong in the Land of the Mangaboos and must not

remain here."

"How can we go away?" asked Dorothy.

"Oh, you cannot go away, of course; so you must be destroyed," was the

answer.

"In what way?" enquired the Wizard.

"We shall throw you three people into the Garden of the Twining Vines,"

said the Princess, "and they will soon crush you and devour your bodies

to make themselves grow bigger. The animals you have with you we will

drive to the mountains and put into the Black Pit. Then our country will

be rid of all its unwelcome visitors."

"But you are in need of a Sorcerer," said the Wizard, "and not one of

those growing is yet ripe enough to pick. I am greater than any

thorn-covered sorcerer that ever grew in your garden. Why destroy me?"

"It is true we need a Sorcerer," acknowledged the Princess, "but I am

informed that one of our own will be ready to pick in a few days, to

take the place of Gwig, whom you cut in two before it was time for him

to be planted. Let us see your arts, and the sorceries you are able to

perform. Then I will decide whether to destroy you with the others or

not."

At this the Wizard made a bow to the people and repeated his trick of

producing the nine tiny piglets and making them disappear again. He did

it very cleverly, indeed, and the Princess looked at the strange

piglets as if she were as truly astonished as any vegetable person could

be. But afterward she said:

"I have heard of this wonderful magic. But it accomplishes nothing of

value. What else can you do?"

The Wizard tried to think. Then he jointed together the blades of his

sword and balanced it very skillfully upon the end of his nose. But even

that did not satisfy the Princess.

Just then his eye fell upon the lanterns and the can of kerosene oil

which Zeb had brought from the car of his balloon, and he got a clever

idea from those commonplace things.

"Your Highness," said he, "I will now proceed to prove my magic by

creating two suns that you have never seen before; also I will exhibit a

Destroyer much more dreadful than your Clinging Vines."

So he placed Dorothy upon one side of him and the boy upon the other and

set a lantern upon each of their heads.

"Don't laugh," he whispered to them, "or you will spoil the effect of my

magic."

[Illustration: "NOW, PRINCESS," EXCLAIMED THE WIZARD.]

Then, with much dignity and a look of vast importance upon his wrinkled

face, the Wizard got out his match-box and lighted the two lanterns. The

glare they made was very small when compared with the radiance of the

six great colored suns; but still they gleamed steadily and clearly. The

Mangaboos were much impressed because they had never before seen any

light that did not come directly from their suns.

Next the Wizard poured a pool of oil from the can upon the glass floor,

where it covered quite a broad surface. When he lighted the oil a

hundred tongues of flame shot up, and the effect was really imposing.

"Now, Princess," exclaimed the Wizard, "those of your advisors who

wished to throw us into the Garden of Clinging Vines must step within

this circle of light. If they advised you well, and were in the right,

they will not be injured in any way. But if any advised you wrongly, the

light will wither him."

The advisors of the Princess did not like this test; but she commanded

them to step into the flame and one by one they did so, and were

scorched so badly that the air was soon filled with an odor like that of