AbdulHannanMujawar/ch_development · Datasets at Hugging Face

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themselves in a lofty hall that was very beautiful. The people at once
followed and formed a circle around the sides of the spacious room,
leaving the horse and buggy and the man with the star to occupy the
center of the hall.

"Come to us, oh, Gwig!" called the man, in a loud voice.

Instantly a cloud of smoke appeared and rolled over the floor; then it
slowly spread and ascended into the dome, disclosing a strange personage
seated upon a glass throne just before Jim's nose. He was formed just as
were the other inhabitants of this land and his clothing only differed
from theirs in being bright yellow. But he had no hair at all, and all
over his bald head and face and upon the backs of his hands grew sharp
thorns like those found on the branches of rose-bushes. There was even a
thorn upon the tip of his nose and he looked so funny that Dorothy
laughed when she saw him.

The Sorcerer, hearing the laugh, looked toward the little girl with
cold, cruel eyes, and his glance made her grow sober in an instant.

"Why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded
Land of the Mangaboos?" he asked, sternly.

"'Cause we couldn't help it," said Dorothy.

"Why did you wickedly and viciously send the Rain of Stones to crack and
break our houses?" he continued.

"We didn't," declared the girl.

"Prove it!" cried the Sorcerer.

"We don't have to prove it," answered Dorothy, indignantly. "If you had
any sense at all you'd known it was the earthquake."

"We only know that yesterday came a Rain of Stones upon us, which did
much damage and injured some of our people. Today came another Rain of
Stones, and soon after it you appeared among us."

"By the way," said the man with the star, looking steadily at the
Sorcerer, "you told us yesterday that there would not be a second Rain
of Stones. Yet one has just occurred that was even worse than the first.
What is your sorcery good for if it cannot tell us the truth?"

"My sorcery does tell the truth!" declared the thorn-covered man. "I
said there would be but one Rain of Stones. This second one was a Rain
of People-and-Horse-and-Buggy. And some stones came with them."

"Will there be any more Rains?" asked the man with the star.

"No, my Prince."

"Neither stones nor people?"

"No, my Prince."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite sure, my Prince. My sorcery tells me so."

Just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the Prince
after making a low bow.

"More wonders in the air, my Lord," said he.

Immediately the Prince and all of his people flocked out of the hall
into the street, that they might see what was about to happen. Dorothy
and Zeb jumped out of the buggy and ran after them, but the Sorcerer
remained calmly in his throne.

Far up in the air was an object that looked like a balloon. It was not
so high as the glowing star of the six colored suns, but was descending
slowly through the air--so slowly that at first it scarcely seemed to
move.

The throng stood still and waited. It was all they could do, for to go
away and leave that strange sight was impossible; nor could they hurry
its fall in any way. The earth children were not noticed, being so near
the average size of the Mangaboos, and the horse had remained in the
House of the Sorcerer, with Eureka curled up asleep on the seat of the
buggy.

Gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling
down upon the Land of the Mangaboos. Dorothy was surprised to find how
patient the people were, for her own little heart was beating rapidly
with excitement. A balloon meant to her some other arrival from the
surface of the earth, and she hoped it would be some one able to assist
her and Zeb out of their difficulties.

In an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket
suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the
side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into
the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass
pavement.

Then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and
bowed very gracefully to the crowd of Mangaboos around him. He was quite
an old little man, and his head was long and entirely bald.

"Why," cried Dorothy, in amazement, "it's Oz!"

themselves in a lofty hall that was very beautiful. The people at once

followed and formed a circle around the sides of the spacious room,

leaving the horse and buggy and the man with the star to occupy the

center of the hall.

"Come to us, oh, Gwig!" called the man, in a loud voice.

Instantly a cloud of smoke appeared and rolled over the floor; then it

slowly spread and ascended into the dome, disclosing a strange personage

seated upon a glass throne just before Jim's nose. He was formed just as

were the other inhabitants of this land and his clothing only differed

from theirs in being bright yellow. But he had no hair at all, and all

over his bald head and face and upon the backs of his hands grew sharp

thorns like those found on the branches of rose-bushes. There was even a

thorn upon the tip of his nose and he looked so funny that Dorothy

laughed when she saw him.

The Sorcerer, hearing the laugh, looked toward the little girl with

cold, cruel eyes, and his glance made her grow sober in an instant.

"Why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded

Land of the Mangaboos?" he asked, sternly.

"'Cause we couldn't help it," said Dorothy.

"Why did you wickedly and viciously send the Rain of Stones to crack and

break our houses?" he continued.

"We didn't," declared the girl.

"Prove it!" cried the Sorcerer.

"We don't have to prove it," answered Dorothy, indignantly. "If you had

any sense at all you'd known it was the earthquake."

"We only know that yesterday came a Rain of Stones upon us, which did

much damage and injured some of our people. Today came another Rain of

Stones, and soon after it you appeared among us."

"By the way," said the man with the star, looking steadily at the

Sorcerer, "you told us yesterday that there would not be a second Rain

of Stones. Yet one has just occurred that was even worse than the first.

What is your sorcery good for if it cannot tell us the truth?"

"My sorcery does tell the truth!" declared the thorn-covered man. "I

said there would be but one Rain of Stones. This second one was a Rain

of People-and-Horse-and-Buggy. And some stones came with them."

"Will there be any more Rains?" asked the man with the star.

"No, my Prince."

"Neither stones nor people?"

"No, my Prince."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite sure, my Prince. My sorcery tells me so."

Just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the Prince

after making a low bow.

"More wonders in the air, my Lord," said he.

Immediately the Prince and all of his people flocked out of the hall

into the street, that they might see what was about to happen. Dorothy

and Zeb jumped out of the buggy and ran after them, but the Sorcerer

remained calmly in his throne.

Far up in the air was an object that looked like a balloon. It was not

so high as the glowing star of the six colored suns, but was descending

slowly through the air--so slowly that at first it scarcely seemed to

move.

The throng stood still and waited. It was all they could do, for to go

away and leave that strange sight was impossible; nor could they hurry

its fall in any way. The earth children were not noticed, being so near

the average size of the Mangaboos, and the horse had remained in the

House of the Sorcerer, with Eureka curled up asleep on the seat of the

buggy.

Gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling

down upon the Land of the Mangaboos. Dorothy was surprised to find how

patient the people were, for her own little heart was beating rapidly

with excitement. A balloon meant to her some other arrival from the

surface of the earth, and she hoped it would be some one able to assist

her and Zeb out of their difficulties.

In an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket

suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the

side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into

the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass

pavement.

Then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and

bowed very gracefully to the crowd of Mangaboos around him. He was quite

an old little man, and his head was long and entirely bald.

"Why," cried Dorothy, in amazement, "it's Oz!"