Chapters (33)
- Title Page
- epubBooks Information
- Author's Note
- 1. How the Nome King Became Angry
- 2. How Uncle Henry Got Into Trouble
- 3. How Ozma Granted Dorothy's Request
- 4. How The Nome King Planned Revenge
- 5. How Dorothy Became a Princess
- 6. How Guph Visited the Whimsies
- 7. How Aunt Em Conquered the Lion
- 8. How the Grand Gallipoot Joined The Nomes
- 9. How the Wogglebug Taught Athletics
- 10. How the Cuttenclips Lived
- 11. How the General Met the First and Foremost
- 12. How they Matched the Fuddles
- 13. How the General Talked to the King
- 14. How the Wizard Practiced Sorcery
- 15. How Dorothy Happened to Get Lost
- 16. How Dorothy Visited Utensia
- 17. How They Came to Bunbury
- 18. How Ozma Looked into the Magic Picture
- 19. How Bunnybury Welcomed the Strangers
- 20. How Dorothy Lunched With a King
- 21. How the King Changed His Mind
- 22. How the Wizard Found Dorothy
- 23. How They Encountered the Flutterbudgets
- 24. How the Tin Woodman Told the Sad News
- 25. How the Scarecrow Displayed His Wisdom
- 26. How Ozma Refused to Fight for Her Kingdom
- 27. How the Fierce Warriors Invaded Oz
- 28. How They Drank at the Forbidden Fountain
- 29. How Glinda Worked a Magic Spell
- 30. How the Story of Oz Came to an End
They were all startled to hear this, and every face wore a troubled look.
"Is the tunnel all ready?" asked Dorothy.
"Ozma sent me word yesterday that the tunnel was all completed except for a thin crust of earth at the end. When our enemies break through this crust, they will be in the gardens of the royal palace, in the heart of the Emerald City. I offered to arm all my Winkies and march to Ozma's assistance; but she said no."
"I wonder why?" asked Dorothy.
"She answered that all the inhabitants of Oz, gathered together, were not powerful enough to fight and overcome the evil forces of the Nome King. Therefore she refuses to fight at all."
"But they will capture and enslave us, and plunder and ruin all our lovely land!" exclaimed the Wizard, greatly disturbed by this statement.
"I fear they will," said the Tin Woodman, sorrowfully. "And I also fear that those who are not fairies, such as the Wizard, and Dorothy, and her uncle and aunt, as well as Toto and Billina, will be speedily put to death by the conquerors."
"What can be done?" asked Dorothy, shuddering a little at the prospect of this awful fate.
"Nothing can be done!" gloomily replied the Emperor of the Winkies. "But since Ozma refuses my army I will go myself to the Emerald City. The least I may do is to perish beside my beloved Ruler."
25. How the Scarecrow Displayed His Wisdom
25. How the Scarecrow Displayed His Wisdom
This amazing news had saddened every heart and all were now anxious to return to the Emerald City and share Ozma's fate. So they started without loss of time, and as the road led past the Scarecrow's new mansion they determined to make a brief halt there and confer with him.
"The Scarecrow is probably the wisest man in all Oz," remarked the Tin Woodman, when they had started upon their journey. "His brains are plentiful and of excellent quality, and often he has told me things I might never have thought of myself. I must say I rely a great deal upon the Scarecrow's brains in this emergency."
The Tin Woodman rode on the front seat of the wagon, where Dorothy sat between him and the Wizard.
"Has the Scarecrow heard of Ozma's trouble?" asked the Captain General.
"I do not know, sir," was the reply.
"When I was a private," said Omby Amby, "I was an excellent army, as I fully proved in our war against the Nomes. But now there is not a single private left in our army, since Ozma made me the Captain General, so there is no one to fight and defend our lovely Ruler."
"True," said the Wizard. "The present army is composed only of officers, and the business of an officer is to order his men to fight. Since there are no men there can be no fighting."