AbdulHannanMujawar/ch_development · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 83
do that, and if you succeeded in getting there you would probably fall
off."

"Oh, no," said Dorothy, "we've been there, and we know."

"The Valley of Voe is certainly a charming place," resumed the Wizard;
"but we cannot be contented in any other land than our own, for long.
Even if we should come to unpleasant places on our way it is necessary,
in order to reach the earth's surface, to keep moving on toward it."

"In that case," said the man, "it will be best for you to cross our
Valley and mount the spiral staircase inside the Pyramid Mountain. The
top of that mountain is lost in the clouds, and when you reach it you
will be in the awful Land of Naught, where the Gargoyles live."

"What are Gargoyles?" asked Zeb.

"I do not know, young sir. Our greatest Champion, Overman-Anu, once
climbed the spiral stairway and fought nine days with the Gargoyles
before he could escape them and come back; but he could never be induced
to describe the dreadful creatures, and soon afterward a bear caught
him and ate him up."

The wanderers were rather discouraged by this gloomy report, but Dorothy
said with a sigh:

"If the only way to get home is to meet the Gurgles, then we've got to
meet 'em. They can't be worse than the Wicked Witch or the Nome King."

"But you must remember you had the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman to help
you conquer those enemies," suggested the Wizard. "Just now, my dear,
there is not a single warrior in your company."

"Oh, I guess Zeb could fight if he had to. Couldn't you, Zeb?" asked the
little girl.

"Perhaps; if I had to," answered Zeb, doubtfully.

"And you have the jointed sword that you chopped the veg'table Sorcerer
in two with," the girl said to the little man.

"True," he replied; "and in my satchel are other useful things to fight
with."

"What the Gargoyles most dread is a noise," said the man's voice. "Our
Champion told me that when he shouted his battle-cry the creatures
shuddered and drew back, hesitating to continue the combat. But they
were in great numbers, and the Champion could not shout much because he
had to save his breath for fighting."

"Very good," said the Wizard; "we can all yell better than we can fight,
so we ought to defeat the Gargoyles."

"But tell me," said Dorothy, "how did such a brave Champion happen to
let the bears eat him? And if he was invis'ble, and the bears invis'ble,
who knows that they really ate him up?"

"The Champion had killed eleven bears in his time," returned the unseen
man; "and we know this is true because when any creature is dead the
invisible charm of the dama-fruit ceases to be active, and the slain one
can be plainly seen by all eyes. When the Champion killed a bear
everyone could see it; and when the bears killed the Champion we all saw
several pieces of him scattered about, which of course disappeared again
when the bears devoured them."

They now bade farewell to the kind but unseen people of the cottage, and
after the man had called their attention to a high, pyramid-shaped
mountain on the opposite side of the Valley, and told them how to travel
in order to reach it, they again started upon their journey.

They followed the course of a broad stream and passed several more
pretty cottages; but of course they saw no one, nor did any one speak to
them. Fruits and flowers grew plentifully all about, and there were many
of the delicious damas that the people of Voe were so fond of.

About noon they stopped to allow Jim to rest in the shade of a pretty
orchard, and while they plucked and ate some of the cherries and plums
that grew there a soft voice suddenly said to them:

"There are bears near by. Be careful."

The Wizard got out his sword at once, and Zeb grabbed the horse-whip.
Dorothy climbed into the buggy, although Jim had been unharnessed from
it and was grazing some distance away.

The owner of the unseen voice laughed lightly and said:

"You cannot escape the bears that way."

"How _can_ we 'scape?" asked Dorothy, nervously, for an unseen danger is
always the hardest to face.

"You must take to the river," was the reply. "The bears will not venture
upon the water."

"But we would be drowned!" exclaimed the girl.

"Oh, there is no need of that," said the voice, which from its gentle
tones seemed to belong to a young girl. "You are strangers in the Valley
of Voe, and do not seem to know our ways; so I will try to save you."

do that, and if you succeeded in getting there you would probably fall

off."

"Oh, no," said Dorothy, "we've been there, and we know."

"The Valley of Voe is certainly a charming place," resumed the Wizard;

"but we cannot be contented in any other land than our own, for long.

Even if we should come to unpleasant places on our way it is necessary,

in order to reach the earth's surface, to keep moving on toward it."

"In that case," said the man, "it will be best for you to cross our

Valley and mount the spiral staircase inside the Pyramid Mountain. The

top of that mountain is lost in the clouds, and when you reach it you

will be in the awful Land of Naught, where the Gargoyles live."

"What are Gargoyles?" asked Zeb.

"I do not know, young sir. Our greatest Champion, Overman-Anu, once

climbed the spiral stairway and fought nine days with the Gargoyles

before he could escape them and come back; but he could never be induced

to describe the dreadful creatures, and soon afterward a bear caught

him and ate him up."

The wanderers were rather discouraged by this gloomy report, but Dorothy

said with a sigh:

"If the only way to get home is to meet the Gurgles, then we've got to

meet 'em. They can't be worse than the Wicked Witch or the Nome King."

"But you must remember you had the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman to help

you conquer those enemies," suggested the Wizard. "Just now, my dear,

there is not a single warrior in your company."

"Oh, I guess Zeb could fight if he had to. Couldn't you, Zeb?" asked the

little girl.

"Perhaps; if I had to," answered Zeb, doubtfully.

"And you have the jointed sword that you chopped the veg'table Sorcerer

in two with," the girl said to the little man.

"True," he replied; "and in my satchel are other useful things to fight

with."

"What the Gargoyles most dread is a noise," said the man's voice. "Our

Champion told me that when he shouted his battle-cry the creatures

shuddered and drew back, hesitating to continue the combat. But they

were in great numbers, and the Champion could not shout much because he

had to save his breath for fighting."

"Very good," said the Wizard; "we can all yell better than we can fight,

so we ought to defeat the Gargoyles."

"But tell me," said Dorothy, "how did such a brave Champion happen to

let the bears eat him? And if he was invis'ble, and the bears invis'ble,

who knows that they really ate him up?"

"The Champion had killed eleven bears in his time," returned the unseen

man; "and we know this is true because when any creature is dead the

invisible charm of the dama-fruit ceases to be active, and the slain one

can be plainly seen by all eyes. When the Champion killed a bear

everyone could see it; and when the bears killed the Champion we all saw

several pieces of him scattered about, which of course disappeared again

when the bears devoured them."

They now bade farewell to the kind but unseen people of the cottage, and

after the man had called their attention to a high, pyramid-shaped

mountain on the opposite side of the Valley, and told them how to travel

in order to reach it, they again started upon their journey.

They followed the course of a broad stream and passed several more

pretty cottages; but of course they saw no one, nor did any one speak to

them. Fruits and flowers grew plentifully all about, and there were many

of the delicious damas that the people of Voe were so fond of.

About noon they stopped to allow Jim to rest in the shade of a pretty

orchard, and while they plucked and ate some of the cherries and plums

that grew there a soft voice suddenly said to them:

"There are bears near by. Be careful."

The Wizard got out his sword at once, and Zeb grabbed the horse-whip.

Dorothy climbed into the buggy, although Jim had been unharnessed from

it and was grazing some distance away.

The owner of the unseen voice laughed lightly and said:

"You cannot escape the bears that way."

"How _can_ we 'scape?" asked Dorothy, nervously, for an unseen danger is

always the hardest to face.

"You must take to the river," was the reply. "The bears will not venture

upon the water."

"But we would be drowned!" exclaimed the girl.

"Oh, there is no need of that," said the voice, which from its gentle

tones seemed to belong to a young girl. "You are strangers in the Valley

of Voe, and do not seem to know our ways; so I will try to save you."