as powerful as a telescope, and could see everywhere. So, as she
sat in the door of her castle, she happened to look around and saw
Dorothy lying asleep, with her friends all about her. They were a
long distance off, but the Wicked Witch was angry to find them in
her country; so she blew upon a silver whistle that hung around her
neck.
At once there came running to her from all directions a pack of
great wolves. They had long legs and fierce eyes and sharp
teeth.
"Go to those people," said the Witch, "and tear them to
pieces."
"Are you not going to make them your slaves?" asked the leader
of the wolves.
"No," she answered, "one is of tin, and one of straw; one is a
girl and another a Lion. None of them is fit to work, so you may
tear them into small pieces."
"Very well," said the wolf, and he dashed away at full speed,
followed by the others.
It was lucky the Scarecrow and the Woodman were wide awake and
heard the wolves coming.
"This is my fight," said the Woodman, "so get behind me and I
will meet them as they come."
He seized his axe, which he had made very sharp, and as the
leader of the wolves came on the Tin Woodman swung his arm and
chopped the wolf's head from its body, so that it immediately died.
As soon as he could raise his axe another wolf came up, and he also
fell under the sharp edge of the Tin Woodman's weapon. There were
forty wolves, and forty times a wolf was killed, so that at last
they all lay dead in a heap before the Woodman.
Then he put down his axe and sat beside the Scarecrow, who said,
"It was a good fight, friend."
They waited until Dorothy awoke the next morning. The little
girl was quite frightened when she saw the great pile of shaggy
wolves, but the Tin Woodman told her all. She thanked him for
saving them and sat down to breakfast, after which they started
again upon their journey.
Now this same morning the Wicked Witch came to the door of her
castle and looked out with her one eye that could see far off. She
saw all her wolves lying dead, and the strangers still travelingsaw all her wolves lying dead, and the strangers still traveling
through her country. This made her angrier than before, and she
blew her silver whistle twice.
Straightway a great flock of wild crows came flying toward her,
enough to darken the sky.
And the Wicked Witch said to the King Crow, "Fly at once to the
strangers; peck out their eyes and tear them to pieces."
The wild crows flew in one great flock toward Dorothy and her
companions. When the little girl saw them coming she was
afraid.
But the Scarecrow said, "This is my battle, so lie down beside
me and you will not be harmed."
So they all lay upon the ground except the Scarecrow, and he
stood up and stretched out his arms. And when the crows saw him
they were frightened, as these birds always are by scarecrows, and
did not dare to come any nearer. But the King Crow said:
"It is only a stuffed man. I will peck his eyes out."
The King Crow flew at the Scarecrow, who caught it by the head
and twisted its neck until it died. And then another crow flew at
him, and the Scarecrow twisted its neck also. There were forty
crows, and forty times the Scarecrow twisted a neck, until at last
all were lying dead beside him. Then he called to his companions to
rise, and again they went upon their journey.
When the Wicked Witch looked out again and saw all her crows
lying in a heap, she got into a terrible rage, and blew three times
upon her silver whistle.
Forthwith there was heard a great buzzing in the air, and a
swarm of black bees came flying toward her.
"Go to the strangers and sting them to death!" commanded the
Witch, and the bees turned and flew rapidly until they came to
where Dorothy and her friends were walking. But the Woodman had
seen them coming, and the Scarecrow had decided what to do.
"Take out my straw and scatter it over the little girl and the
dog and the Lion," he said to the Woodman, "and the bees cannot
sting them." This the Woodman did, and as Dorothy lay close beside
the Lion and held Toto in her arms, the straw covered them
entirely.the Lion and held Toto in her arms, the straw covered them
entirely.
The bees came and found no one but the Woodman to sting, so they
flew at him and broke off all their stings against the tin, without
hurting the Woodman at all. And as bees cannot live when their
stings are broken that was the end of the black bees, and they lay
scattered thick about the Woodman, like little heaps of fine
coal.
Then Dorothy and the Lion got up, and the girl helped the Tin
Woodman put the straw back into the Scarecrow again, until he was
as good as ever. So they started upon their journey once more.
The Wicked Witch was so angry when she saw her black bees in
little heaps like fine coal that she stamped her foot and tore her
hair and gnashed her teeth. And then she called a dozen of her
slaves, who were the Winkies, and gave them sharp spears, telling
them to go to the strangers and destroy them.
The Winkies were not a brave people, but they had to do as they
were told. So they marched away until they came near to Dorothy.
Then the Lion gave a great roar and sprang towards them, and the
poor Winkies were so frightened that they ran back as fast as they
could.
When they returned to the castle the Wicked Witch beat them well
with a strap, and sent them back to their work, after which she sat
down to think what she should do next. She could not understand how
all her plans to destroy these strangers had failed; but she was a
powerful Witch, as well as a wicked one, and she soon made up her
mind how to act.
There was, in her cupboard, a Golden Cap, with a circle of
diamonds and rubies running round it. This Golden Cap had a charm.
Whoever owned it could call three times upon the Winged Monkeys,
who would obey any order they were given. But no person could
command these strange creatures more than three times. Twice
already the Wicked Witch had used the charm of the Cap. Once was
when she had made the Winkies her slaves, and set herself to rule
over their country. The Winged Monkeys had helped her do this. The