AbdulHannanMujawar/ch_development · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 83
baked potatoes. Some of the Mangaboos fell down and had to be dragged
from the fire, and all were so withered that it would be necessary to
plant them at once.

"Sir," said the Princess to the Wizard, "you are greater than any
Sorcerer we have ever known. As it is evident that my people have
advised me wrongly, I will not cast you three people into the dreadful
Garden of the Clinging Vines; but your animals must be driven into the
Black Pit in the mountain, for my subjects cannot bear to have them
around."

The Wizard was so pleased to have saved the two children and himself
that he said nothing against this decree; but when the Princess had gone
both Jim and Eureka protested they did not want to go to the Black Pit,
and Dorothy promised she would do all that she could to save them from
such a fate.

For two or three days after this--if we call days the periods between
sleep, there being no night to divide the hours into days--our friends
were not disturbed in any way. They were even permitted to occupy the
House of the Sorcerer in peace, as if it had been their own, and to
wander in the gardens in search of food.

Once they came near to the enclosed Garden of the Clinging Vines, and
walking high into the air looked down upon it with much interest. They
saw a mass of tough green vines all matted together and writhing and
twisting around like a nest of great snakes. Everything the vines
touched they crushed, and our adventurers were indeed thankful to have
escaped being cast among them.

Whenever the Wizard went to sleep he would take the nine tiny piglets
from his pocket and let them run around on the floor of his room to
amuse themselves and get some exercise; and one time they found his
glass door ajar and wandered into the hall and then into the bottom part
of the great dome, walking through the air as easily as Eureka could.
They knew the kitten, by this time, so they scampered over to where she
lay beside Jim and commenced to frisk and play with her.

The cab-horse, who never slept long at a time, sat upon his haunches and
watched the tiny piglets and the kitten with much approval.

"Don't be rough!" he would call out, if Eureka knocked over one of the
round, fat piglets with her paw; but the pigs never minded, and enjoyed
the sport very greatly.

Suddenly they looked up to find the room filled with the silent,
solemn-eyed Mangaboos. Each of the vegetable folks bore a branch covered
with sharp thorns, which was thrust defiantly toward the horse, the
kitten and the piglets.

"Here--stop this foolishness!" Jim roared, angrily; but after being
pricked once or twice he got upon his four legs and kept out of the way
of the thorns.

The Mangaboos surrounded them in solid ranks, but left an opening to the
doorway of the hall; so the animals slowly retreated until they were
driven from the room and out upon the street. Here were more of the
vegetable people with thorns, and silently they urged the now frightened
creatures down the street. Jim had to be careful not to step upon the
tiny piglets, who scampered under his feet grunting and squealing, while
Eureka, snarling and biting at the thorns pushed toward her, also tried
to protect the pretty little things from injury. Slowly but steadily the
heartless Mangaboos drove them on, until they had passed through the
city and the gardens and come to the broad plains leading to the
mountain.

"What does all this mean, anyhow?" asked the horse, jumping to escape a
thorn.

"Why, they are driving us toward the Black Pit, into which they
threatened to cast us," replied the kitten. "If I were as big as you
are, Jim, I'd fight these miserable turnip-roots!"

"What would you do?" enquired Jim.

"I'd kick out with those long legs and iron-shod hoofs."

"All right," said the horse; "I'll do it."

An instant later he suddenly backed toward the crowd of Mangaboos and
kicked out his hind legs as hard as he could. A dozen of them smashed
together and tumbled to the ground, and seeing his success Jim kicked
again and again, charging into the vegetable crowd, knocking them in
all directions and sending the others scattering to escape his iron
heels. Eureka helped him by flying into the faces of the enemy and
scratching and biting furiously, and the kitten ruined so many vegetable
complexions that the Mangaboos feared her as much as they did the horse.

But the foes were too many to be repulsed for long. They tired Jim and
Eureka out, and although the field of battle was thickly covered with
mashed and disabled Mangaboos, our animal friends had to give up at last
and allow themselves to be driven to the mountain.

[Illustration]




CHAPTER 7.

baked potatoes. Some of the Mangaboos fell down and had to be dragged

from the fire, and all were so withered that it would be necessary to

plant them at once.

"Sir," said the Princess to the Wizard, "you are greater than any

Sorcerer we have ever known. As it is evident that my people have

advised me wrongly, I will not cast you three people into the dreadful

Garden of the Clinging Vines; but your animals must be driven into the

Black Pit in the mountain, for my subjects cannot bear to have them

around."

The Wizard was so pleased to have saved the two children and himself

that he said nothing against this decree; but when the Princess had gone

both Jim and Eureka protested they did not want to go to the Black Pit,

and Dorothy promised she would do all that she could to save them from

such a fate.

For two or three days after this--if we call days the periods between

sleep, there being no night to divide the hours into days--our friends

were not disturbed in any way. They were even permitted to occupy the

House of the Sorcerer in peace, as if it had been their own, and to

wander in the gardens in search of food.

Once they came near to the enclosed Garden of the Clinging Vines, and

walking high into the air looked down upon it with much interest. They

saw a mass of tough green vines all matted together and writhing and

twisting around like a nest of great snakes. Everything the vines

touched they crushed, and our adventurers were indeed thankful to have

escaped being cast among them.

Whenever the Wizard went to sleep he would take the nine tiny piglets

from his pocket and let them run around on the floor of his room to

amuse themselves and get some exercise; and one time they found his

glass door ajar and wandered into the hall and then into the bottom part

of the great dome, walking through the air as easily as Eureka could.

They knew the kitten, by this time, so they scampered over to where she

lay beside Jim and commenced to frisk and play with her.

The cab-horse, who never slept long at a time, sat upon his haunches and

watched the tiny piglets and the kitten with much approval.

"Don't be rough!" he would call out, if Eureka knocked over one of the

round, fat piglets with her paw; but the pigs never minded, and enjoyed

the sport very greatly.

Suddenly they looked up to find the room filled with the silent,

solemn-eyed Mangaboos. Each of the vegetable folks bore a branch covered

with sharp thorns, which was thrust defiantly toward the horse, the

kitten and the piglets.

"Here--stop this foolishness!" Jim roared, angrily; but after being

pricked once or twice he got upon his four legs and kept out of the way

of the thorns.

The Mangaboos surrounded them in solid ranks, but left an opening to the

doorway of the hall; so the animals slowly retreated until they were

driven from the room and out upon the street. Here were more of the

vegetable people with thorns, and silently they urged the now frightened

creatures down the street. Jim had to be careful not to step upon the

tiny piglets, who scampered under his feet grunting and squealing, while

Eureka, snarling and biting at the thorns pushed toward her, also tried

to protect the pretty little things from injury. Slowly but steadily the

heartless Mangaboos drove them on, until they had passed through the

city and the gardens and come to the broad plains leading to the

mountain.

"What does all this mean, anyhow?" asked the horse, jumping to escape a

thorn.

"Why, they are driving us toward the Black Pit, into which they

threatened to cast us," replied the kitten. "If I were as big as you

are, Jim, I'd fight these miserable turnip-roots!"

"What would you do?" enquired Jim.

"I'd kick out with those long legs and iron-shod hoofs."

"All right," said the horse; "I'll do it."

An instant later he suddenly backed toward the crowd of Mangaboos and

kicked out his hind legs as hard as he could. A dozen of them smashed

together and tumbled to the ground, and seeing his success Jim kicked

again and again, charging into the vegetable crowd, knocking them in

all directions and sending the others scattering to escape his iron

heels. Eureka helped him by flying into the faces of the enemy and

scratching and biting furiously, and the kitten ruined so many vegetable

complexions that the Mangaboos feared her as much as they did the horse.

But the foes were too many to be repulsed for long. They tired Jim and

Eureka out, and although the field of battle was thickly covered with

mashed and disabled Mangaboos, our animal friends had to give up at last

and allow themselves to be driven to the mountain.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER 7.