CHAPTER 9
"SAVE US WITH YOUR MAGIC, EXALTED ONE!"
For several minutes, the Scarecrow sat perfectly still while thecompany stood shaking in their shoes. Then he asked loudly, "Where isthe Imperial Army?"
"It has retired to the caves at the end of the Island," quavered theGrand Chew Chew.
"I thought as much," said the Scarecrow. "But never mind, there arequite a lot of us."
"Us!" spluttered a tall Silverman indignantly. "We are not commonsoldiers."
"No, very uncommon ones, but you have hard heads and long nails, andI dare say will manage somehow. Come on, let's go. Chew, you may takethe lead."
"Go!" shrieked the Grand Chew Chew. "Us?" The Courtiers began backingaway in alarm. "Where--er--what--are your Highness' plans?"
"Why, just to conquer the King of the Golden Islands and send himback home," said the Scarecrow, smiling engagingly. "That's what youwanted, isn't it?"
"But it is not honorable for noblemen to fight. It--"
"Oh, of course, if you prefer burning--" The Scarecrow roseunsteadily and started for the garden gates. Not a person stirred.The Scarecrow looked back, and his reproachful face was too much forHappy Toko.
"I'll come, exalted and radiant Scarecrowcus! Wait, honorable andvaliant Sir!"
"Bring a watering can, if you love me," called the Scarecrow over hisshoulder, and Happy, snatching one from a frightened gardener, dashedafter his Master.
"If things get too hot, I'd like to know that you can put me out,"said the Scarecrow, his voice quivering with emotion. "You shall berewarded for this, my brave Tappy."
Happy did not answer, for his teeth were chattering so he could notspeak.
The harbor lay just below the Imperial Palace, and the Scarecrow andHappy hurried on through the crowds of fleeing Silvermen, theirhousehold goods packed upon their heads. Some cheered faintly forChang Wang Woe, but none offered to follow, save the faithful Happy.
"Is this king old?" asked the Scarecrow, looking anxiously at thesmall boats full of warriors that were putting out from the fleet.
"He is the son of the King whom your Majesty conquered fifty yearsago," gulped Happy. "Ha--has your Imperial Highness any--plan?"
"Not yet," said the Scarecrow cheerfully, "but I'm thinking veryhard."
"Then, goodbye to Silver Island!" choked Happy Toko, dropping thewatering can with a crash.
"Never mind," said the Scarecrow kindly. "If they shoot me and Icatch fire, I'll jump in the water and you must fish me out, Tappy.Now please don't talk any more. I must think!"
Poor Happy Toko had nothing else to say, for he considered his dayfinished. The first of the invaders were already landing on thebeach, and standing up in a small boat, encased in glittering goldarmor, was the King of the Golden Islands, himself. The sun was quitehot, and there was a smell of gunpowder in the air.
Now the Scarecrow had encountered many dangers in Oz and had usuallythought his way out of them, but as they came nearer and nearer tothe shore and no idea presented itself, he began to feel extremelynervous. A bullet fired from the king's boat tore through his hat,and the smoke made him more anxious than ever about his strawstuffing. He felt hurriedly in his pocket, and his clumsy fingersclosed over the little fan he had plucked from the bean pole.
Partly from agitation and partly because he did not know what else todo, the Scarecrow flipped the fan open. At that minute, a mighty roarwent up from the enemy, for at the first motion of the fan they hadbeen jerked fifty feet into the air, and there they hung suspendedover their ships, kicking and squealing for dear life. The Scarecrowwas as surprised as they, and as for Happy Toko, he fell straightwayon his nose!
"Magic!" exclaimed the Scarecrow. "Someone is helping us," and hebegan fanning himself gently with the little fan, waiting to see whatwould happen next. At each wave of the fan, the King of the GoldenIslands and his men flew higher until at last not one of them couldbe seen from the shore.
"The fan. The magic is in the fan!" gasped Happy Toko, jumping up andembracing the Scarecrow.
"Why, what do you mean?" asked the Scarecrow, closing the fan with asnap. Happy's answer was drowned in a huge splash. As soon as the fanwas closed, down whirled the king's army into the sea, and each manstruck the water with such force that the spray rose high as askyscraper. And not till then did the Scarecrow realize the power ofthe little fan he had been saving for Dorothy.
"Saved!" screamed Happy Toko, dancing up and down. "Hurrah for theEmperor!"
The Emperor, without a plan, Has won the victory with a fan.
The Silver Islanders had paused in their flight at the queer noisescoming from the harbor, and now all of them, hearing Tappy Oko'scries, came crowding down to the shore and were soon cheeringthemselves hoarse. No wonder! The drenched soldiers of the king wereclimbing swiftly back into their boats, and when they were allaboard, the Scarecrow waved his fan sidewise (he did not want to blowthem up again), and the ships swept out of the harbor so fast thatthe water churned to silver suds behind them, and they soon were outof sight.
"Ah!" cried the Grand Chew Chew, arriving breathlessly at this point,"We have won the day!"
"So we have!" chuckled the Scarecrow, putting his arm around HappyToko. "Call the brave army and decorate the generals!"
"It shall be done," said the Grand Chew Chew, frowning at Happy."There shall be a great celebration, a feast, and fireworks."
"Fireworks," quavered the Scarecrow, clutching his Imperial Punster.By this time, the Silver Islanders were crowding around the Emperor,shouting and squealing for joy, and before he could prevent it, theyhad placed him on their shoulders and carried him in triumph to thepalace. He managed to signal Happy, and Happy nodded reassuringly andran off as fast as his fat little legs could patter. He arrived atthe palace almost as soon as the Scarecrow, lugging a giant silverwatering can, and, sitting calmly on the steps of the throne, fannedhimself with his hat. The Scarecrow eyed the watering can withsatisfaction.
"Now let them have their old fireworks," he muttered under hisbreath, and settled himself comfortably. The Grand Chew Chew washopping about like a ditched kite, arranging for the celebration. Thecourtiers were shaking hands with themselves and forming in a longline. A great table was being set in the hall.
"What a fuss they are making over nothing," said the Scarecrow toHappy Toko. "Now in Oz when we win a victory, we all play some jollygame and sit down to dinner with Ozma. Why, they haven't even set aplace for you, Happy!"
"I'd rather sit here, amiable Master," sighed Happy Toko happily. "Isthe little fan safely closed?"
The Scarecrow felt in his pocket to make sure, then leaned forward insurprise. The Royal Silver Army were marching stiffly into the hall,and the courtiers were bobbing and bowing and cheering like mad.
The General came straight to the great silver throne, clicked hissilver heels, bowed, and stood at attention.
"Well," said the Scarecrow, surveying this splendid person curiously,"what is it?"
"They have come for their decorations," announced the Grand ChewChew, stepping up with a large silver platter full of medals.
"But I thought Tappy Oko and I saved the Island," chuckled theScarecrow, nudging the Imperial Punster.
"Had the Imperial Army not retired and left the field to you, therewould have been no victory," faltered the General in a timid voice."Therefore, in a way we are responsible for the victory. A greatgeneral always knows when to retire."
"There's something in that," admitted the Scarecrow, scratching hishead thoughtfully. "Go ahead and decorate 'em, Chew Chew!"
This the Grand Chew Chew proceeded to do, making such a long speechto each soldier that half of the Court fell asleep and the Scarecrowfidgeted uncomfortably.
"They remind me of the Army of Oz," he confided to Happy Toko, "butwe never have long speeches in Oz. I declare, I wish I could go tosleep, too, and that's something I have never seen any use inbefore."
"They've just begun," yawned Happy Toko, nearly
rolling down thesteps of the throne, and Happy was not far wrong, for all afternoonone after the other of the courtiers arose and droned about the greatvictory, and as they all addressed themselves to the Scarecrow, hewas forced to listen politely. When the speeches were over, there wasstill the grand banquet to be got through, and as the SilverIslanders ate much the same fare as their Chinese cousins, you canimagine the poor Scarecrow's feelings.
"Ugh!" shivered the Scarecrow as the strange dishes appeared, "I'mglad none of my friends are here. How fortunate that I'm stuffed withstraw!" The broiled mice, the stewed shark fins and the bird nestsoup made him stare. He had ordered Happy Toko to be placed at hisside, and to watch him happily at work with his silver chopsticks andporcelain spoon was the only satisfaction he got out of the feast.
"And what is that?" he asked, pointing to a steaming bowl that hadjust been placed before Happy.
"Minced cat, your Highness," replied Happy, sprinkling it generouslywith silver polish.
"Cat?" shrieked the Scarecrow, pouncing to his feet in horror. "Doyou mean to tell me you are eating a poor, innocent, little cat?"
"Not a poor one at all. A very rich one, I should say," replied HappyToko with his mouth full. "Ah, had your Highness only your old body,how you would enjoy this!"
"Never!" shouted the Scarecrow so loudly that all of the Courtierslooked up in surprise. "How dare you eat innocent cats?" Indignantlyhe thought of Dorothy's pet kitten back in Oz. Oz--why had he everleft that wonderful country?
"Your Highness has eaten hundreds," announced the Grand Chew Chewcalmly. "Hundreds!"
The Scarecrow dropped back into his chair, too shocked for speech.He, the Scarecrow of Oz, had eaten hundreds of cats! What wouldDorothy say to that? Ugh! This was his first experience with SilverIsland fare. He had always spent the dinner hours in the garden. Hesighed, and looked wistfully at the bean pole in the center of thehall. Every minute he was feeling less and less like the Emperor ofthe Silver Island and more and more like the plain Scarecrow of Oz.
"Your Majesty seems out of spirits," said Happy Toko as he placedhimself and the huge watering can beside the Emperor's bench in thegarden later in the evening.
"I wish I were," said the Scarecrow. "To have an Emperor's spiritwished on you is no joke, my dear Tappy. It's a blinking bore!" Atthat moment, the fireworks commenced. The garden, ablaze with manyshaped silver lanterns, looked more like Fairyland than ever. Buteach rocket made the Scarecrow wince. Showers of stars andbutterflies fell 'round his head, fiery dragons leaped over thetrees, and in all the Fourth of July celebrations you could imaginethere were never such marvelous fireworks as these. No wonder HappyToko, gazing in delight, forgot his promises to his Royal Master.
Soon the Scarecrow's fears were realized, and his straw stuffingbegan to smoke.
"Put me out! Put me out!" cried the Scarecrow, as a shower of sparkssettled in his lap. The royal band made such a din and the courtierssuch a clatter that Happy did not hear.
All of the Silver Islanders were intent on the display, and theyforgot all about their unhappy and smoking Emperor.
"Help! Water! Water! Fire!" screamed the Scarecrow, jumping off histhrone and knocking Happy head over heels. Thus brought to hissenses, Happy hurriedly seized the watering can and sprinkled itscontents on the smoking Emperor.
"Am I out?" gasped the Emperor anxiously. "A fine way to celebrate avictory, lighting me up like a Roman candle!"
"Yes, dear Master," said the repentant Happy, helping the drippingScarecrow to his feet, "it only scorched your royal robe. And it'sall over, anyway. Let us go in."
The dripping Emperor was quite ready to follow his Imperial Punster'sadvice.
"Now that I am put out, let us by all means go in," said theScarecrow gloomily, and the two slipped off without anyone noticingtheir departure.
"I'm afraid I'll have to have some new stuffing tomorrow," observedthe Scarecrow, sinking dejectedly on his throne. "Tappy, my dear boy,after this never leave me alone, do you hear?" Happy Toko made noreply. He had fallen asleep beside the Imperial Throne.
The Scarecrow might have called his court, but he was in no mood formore of the Silver Islanders' idea of a good time. He longed for thedear friends of his loved Land of Oz.
One by one the lights winked out in the gardens, and the noisycompany dispersed, and soon no one in the palace was awake but theScarecrow. His straw was wet and soggy, and even his excellent brainsfelt damp and dull.
"If it weren't for Tappy Oko, how lonely I should be." He staredthrough the long, dim, empty hall with its shimmering silver screensand vases. "I wonder what little Dorothy is doing," sighed theScarecrow wistfully.