AbdulHannanMujawar/ch_development · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 83

"Where does it lead to?" she asked.

"That I cannot tell," said the Wizard; "but we cannot now be far below
the earth's surface, and that entrance may lead to another stairway that
will bring us on top of our world again, where we belong. So, if we had
the wings, and could escape the Gargoyles, we might fly to that rock and
be saved."

"I'll get you the wings," said Zeb, who had thoughtfully listened to all
this. "That is, if the kitten will show me where they are."

"But how can you get down?" enquired the girl, wonderingly.

For answer Zeb began to unfasten Jim's harness, strap by strap, and
to buckle one piece to another until he had made a long leather strip
that would reach to the ground.

[Illustration: THE FIGHT WITH THE GARGOYLES.]

"I can climb down that, all right," he said.

"No you can't," remarked Jim, with a twinkle in his round eyes. "You may
_go_ down, but you can only _climb_ up."

"Well, I'll climb up when I get back, then," said the boy, with a laugh.
"Now, Eureka, you'll have to show me the way to those wings."

"You must be very quiet," warned the kitten; "for if you make the least
noise the Gargoyles will wake up. They can hear a pin drop."

"I'm not going to drop a pin," said Zeb.

He had fastened one end of the strap to a wheel of the buggy, and now he
let the line dangle over the side of the house.

"Be careful," cautioned Dorothy, earnestly.

"I will," said the boy, and let himself slide over the edge.

The girl and the Wizard leaned over and watched Zeb work his way
carefully downward, hand over hand, until he stood upon the ground
below. Eureka clung with her claws to the wooden side of the house and
let herself down easily. Then together they crept away to enter the low
doorway of a neighboring dwelling.

The watchers waited in breathless suspense until the boy again appeared,
his arms now full of the wooden wings.

When he came to where the strap was hanging he tied the wings all in a
bunch to the end of the line, and the Wizard drew them up. Then the line
was let down again for Zeb to climb up by. Eureka quickly followed him,
and soon they were all standing together upon the platform, with eight
of the much prized wooden wings beside them.

The boy was no longer sleepy, but full of energy and excitement. He put
the harness together again and hitched Jim to the buggy. Then, with the
Wizard's help, he tried to fasten some of the wings to the old
cab-horse.

This was no easy task, because half of each one of the hinges of the
wings was missing, it being still fastened to the body of the Gargoyle
who had used it. However, the Wizard went once more to his
satchel--which seemed to contain a surprising variety of odds and
ends--and brought out a spool of strong wire, by means of which they
managed to fasten four of the wings to Jim's harness, two near his head
and two near his tail. They were a bit wiggley, but secure enough if
only the harness held together.

The other four wings were then fastened to the buggy, two on each side,
for the buggy must bear the weight of the children and the Wizard as it
flew through the air.

[Illustration: JIM FLUTTERED AND FLOUNDERED THROUGH THE AIR.]

These preparations had not consumed a great deal of time, but the
sleeping Gargoyles were beginning to wake up and move around, and soon
some of them would be hunting for their missing wings. So the prisoners
resolved to leave their prison at once.

They mounted into the buggy, Dorothy holding Eureka safe in her lap. The
girl sat in the middle of the seat, with Zeb and the Wizard on each side
of her. When all was ready the boy shook the reins and said:

"Fly away, Jim!"

"Which wings must I flop first?" asked the cab-horse, undecidedly.

"Flop them all together," suggested the Wizard.

"Some of them are crooked," objected the horse.

"Never mind; we will steer with the wings on the buggy," said Zeb. "Just
you light out and make for that rock, Jim; and don't waste any time
about it, either."

So the horse gave a groan, flopped its four wings all together, and flew
away from the platform. Dorothy was a little anxious about the success
of their trip, for the way Jim arched his long neck and spread out his
bony legs as he fluttered and floundered through the air was enough to

"Where does it lead to?" she asked.

"That I cannot tell," said the Wizard; "but we cannot now be far below

the earth's surface, and that entrance may lead to another stairway that

will bring us on top of our world again, where we belong. So, if we had

the wings, and could escape the Gargoyles, we might fly to that rock and

be saved."

"I'll get you the wings," said Zeb, who had thoughtfully listened to all

this. "That is, if the kitten will show me where they are."

"But how can you get down?" enquired the girl, wonderingly.

For answer Zeb began to unfasten Jim's harness, strap by strap, and

to buckle one piece to another until he had made a long leather strip

that would reach to the ground.

[Illustration: THE FIGHT WITH THE GARGOYLES.]

"I can climb down that, all right," he said.

"No you can't," remarked Jim, with a twinkle in his round eyes. "You may

_go_ down, but you can only _climb_ up."

"Well, I'll climb up when I get back, then," said the boy, with a laugh.

"Now, Eureka, you'll have to show me the way to those wings."

"You must be very quiet," warned the kitten; "for if you make the least

noise the Gargoyles will wake up. They can hear a pin drop."

"I'm not going to drop a pin," said Zeb.

He had fastened one end of the strap to a wheel of the buggy, and now he

let the line dangle over the side of the house.

"Be careful," cautioned Dorothy, earnestly.

"I will," said the boy, and let himself slide over the edge.

The girl and the Wizard leaned over and watched Zeb work his way

carefully downward, hand over hand, until he stood upon the ground

below. Eureka clung with her claws to the wooden side of the house and

let herself down easily. Then together they crept away to enter the low

doorway of a neighboring dwelling.

The watchers waited in breathless suspense until the boy again appeared,

his arms now full of the wooden wings.

When he came to where the strap was hanging he tied the wings all in a

bunch to the end of the line, and the Wizard drew them up. Then the line

was let down again for Zeb to climb up by. Eureka quickly followed him,

and soon they were all standing together upon the platform, with eight

of the much prized wooden wings beside them.

The boy was no longer sleepy, but full of energy and excitement. He put

the harness together again and hitched Jim to the buggy. Then, with the

Wizard's help, he tried to fasten some of the wings to the old

cab-horse.

This was no easy task, because half of each one of the hinges of the

wings was missing, it being still fastened to the body of the Gargoyle

who had used it. However, the Wizard went once more to his

satchel--which seemed to contain a surprising variety of odds and

ends--and brought out a spool of strong wire, by means of which they

managed to fasten four of the wings to Jim's harness, two near his head

and two near his tail. They were a bit wiggley, but secure enough if

only the harness held together.

The other four wings were then fastened to the buggy, two on each side,

for the buggy must bear the weight of the children and the Wizard as it

flew through the air.

[Illustration: JIM FLUTTERED AND FLOUNDERED THROUGH THE AIR.]

These preparations had not consumed a great deal of time, but the

sleeping Gargoyles were beginning to wake up and move around, and soon

some of them would be hunting for their missing wings. So the prisoners

resolved to leave their prison at once.

They mounted into the buggy, Dorothy holding Eureka safe in her lap. The

girl sat in the middle of the seat, with Zeb and the Wizard on each side

of her. When all was ready the boy shook the reins and said:

"Fly away, Jim!"

"Which wings must I flop first?" asked the cab-horse, undecidedly.

"Flop them all together," suggested the Wizard.

"Some of them are crooked," objected the horse.

"Never mind; we will steer with the wings on the buggy," said Zeb. "Just

you light out and make for that rock, Jim; and don't waste any time

about it, either."

So the horse gave a groan, flopped its four wings all together, and flew

away from the platform. Dorothy was a little anxious about the success

of their trip, for the way Jim arched his long neck and spread out his

bony legs as he fluttered and floundered through the air was enough to