第45章

The Conquest of the WitchNow as soon as the conquest of King Krewl had taken place, one of the Orks had been dispatched to Pon's house with the joyful news.At once Gloria and Pon and Trot and Button-Bright hastened toward the castle.They were somewhat surprised by the sight that met their eyes, for there was the Scarecrow, crowned King, and all the people kneeling humbly before him.So they likewise bowed low to the new ruler and then stood beside the throne.Cap'n Bill, as the gray grasshopper, was still perched upon Trot's shoulder, but now he hopped to the shoulder of the Scarecrow and whispered into the painted ear:

"I thought Gloria was to be Queen of Jinxland."The Scarecrow shook his head.

"Not yet," he answered."No Queen with a frozen heart is fit to rule any country." Then he turned to his new friend, the Ork, who was strutting about, very proud of what he had done, and said: "Do you suppose you, or your followers, could find old Blinkie the Witch?""Where is she?" asked the Ork.

"Somewhere in Jinxland, I'm sure."

"Then," said the Ork, "we shall certainly be able to find her.""It will give me great pleasure," declared the Scarecrow."When you have found her, bring her here to me.and I will then decide what to do with her."The Ork called his followers together and spoke a few words to them in a low tone.A moment after they rose into the air -- so suddenly that the Scarecrow, who was very light in weight, was blown quite out of his throne and into the arms of Pon, who replaced him carefully upon his seat.There was an eddy of dust and ashes, too, and the grasshopper only saved himself from being whirled into the crowd of people by jumping into a tree, from where a series of hops soon brought him back to Trot's shoulder again.The Orks were quite out of sight by this time, so the Scarecrow made a speech to the people and presented Gloria to them, whom they knew well already and were fond of.But not all of them knew of her frozen heart, and when the Scarecrow related the story of the Wicked Witch's misdeeds, which had been encouraged and paid for by Krewl and Googly-Goo, the people were very indignant.

Meantime the fifty Orks had scattered all over Jinx land, which is not a very big country, and their sharp eyes were peering into every valley and grove and gully.

Finally one of them spied a pair of heels sticking out from underneath some bushes, and with a shrill whistle to warn his comrades that the witch was found the Ork flew down and dragged old Blinkie from her hiding-place.Then two or three of the Orks seized the clothing of the wicked woman in their strong claws and, lifting her high in the air, where she struggled and screamed to no avail, they flew with her straight to the royal castle and set her down before the throne of the Scarecrow.

"Good!" exclaimed the straw man, nodding his stuffed head with satisfaction."Now we can proceed to business.

Mistress Witch, I am obliged to request, gently but firmly, that you undo all the wrongs you have done by means of your witchcraft.""Pah!" cried old Blinkie in a scornful voice."I defy you all! By my magic powers I can turn you all into pigs, rooting in the mud, and I'll do it if you are not careful.""I think you are mistaken about that," said the Scarecrow, and rising from his throne he walked with wobbling steps to the side of the Wicked Witch."Before Ileft the Land of Oz, Glinda the Royal Sorceress gave me a box, which I was not to open except in an emergency.But I feel pretty sure that this occasion is an emergency;don't you, Trot?" he asked, turning toward the little girl.

"Why, we've got to do something," replied Trot seriously."Things seem in an awful muddle here, jus'

now, and they'll be worse if we don't stop this witch from doing more harm to people.""That is my idea, exactly," said the Scarecrow, and taking a small box from his pocket he opened the cover and tossed the contents toward Blinkie.

The old woman shrank back, pale and trembling, as a fine white dust settled all about her.Under its influence she seemed to the eyes of all observers to shrivel and grow smaller.

"Oh, dear - oh, dear!" she wailed, wringing her hands in fear."Haven't you the antidote, Scarecrow? Didn't the great Sorceress give you another box?""She did," answered the Scarecrow.

"Then give it me -- quick!" pleaded the witch."Give it me -- and I'll do anything you ask me to!""You will do what I ask first," declared the Scarecrow, firmly.

The witch was shriveling and growing smaller every moment.