The Hidden Valley of Oz Read online

  "Why don't you escape over the plains I see in the distance?" Asked Jam.

  "Those are guarded by the fierce Equinots," replied one of the men, "so we dare not venture upon the plains."

  "Then how am I going to leave this place and find my way home?" Asked Jam sadly.

  "We do not know, but perhaps your magic will find a way."

  The group murmured to each other for a few moments. Then their spokesman again approached.

  "If you intend to leave this valley, perhaps you can help us; for we have heard from the birds that fly over our land of a great hero, in the land of the Winkies, which lies to the west. He is a great woodman, and knows many powerful people in the land.

  If you could get to him, he might come and chop down the magic tree of Terp, the Terrible, and save us."

  "Perhaps," added another, "he would know where your country lies and could help you find your way to your home."

  "Do you think he could?" Asked Jam eagerly.

  "He might."

  "But how am I to reach this country of the Winkies?" Inquired the boy.

  "Alas, we do not know," replied the Gillikens. "You must remain out of the clutches of Terp, and then find a way to cross the plains of the Equinots. It is a long hard journey from here, but it is your only hope of ever returning to your home."

  "Then I shall make the journey," decided Jam.

  Chapter 4

  In the Clutches of Terp, the Terrible

  A GREAT roar sounded from the other side of the hill, shaking the very ground with its rumble.

  The Gillikens turned white with fear and raced for shelter, crying "Hide yourself! Hide yourself! Terp, the Terrible is coming!"

  In a moment all of the purple clad people had disappeared from sight, leaving Jam and his companions standing alone in the path.

  "Better make for cover, kiddo, "squeaked Percy.

  "That roar sounded like Terp means business."

  Jam looked about him for some place to hide and spying a clump of lilac bushes, he ran quickly toward them. Before he had reached the shelter of the thicket, the giant was upon them. With a cry of rage, he reached down and grabbed Jam in one huge hand lifting him high above the ground. Terp, the Terrible was indeed a terrible sight to behold. He was more than fifty feet tall, his face was ugly and covered with a shaggy black beard, although no shaggier and blacker than his thatch of hair. His body was huge and powerful, his legs and arms as large as tree trunks, and his feet and hands enormous. He was clothed in purple, much like his Gilliken slaves, except that the buttons of his coat were huge amethysts set in gold, his belt buckle was gold, studded with gems and the buckles on his shoes, which were as big as row boats, were also of gold and amethyst.

  Glaring at Jam, he roared, "Why are you not slaving in the vineyards, miserable midget? How dare you defy Terp, the Terrible? You shall be punished for this, you disobedient slave. I shall fling you into my darkest dungeon!" And he shook him as a terrier would shake a kitten.

  "Put me down! Put me down!" Shrieked Jam in terror, while Percy dove into the knapsack to keep from being hurled to the ground by the violence of the shaking. Jam kicked wildly, trying to escape.

  "Put me down! I'm not one of your slaves, I'm not I'm not!"

  Upon hearing this, the giant stopped shaking the child and held him up before his eyes to look at him more carefully. Noting the blue trousers, cowboy hat and shirt, and knapsack, he realized that the boy was not a Gilliken slave. But what was to prevent Terp the Terrible, from adding a new slave to his collection?

  "Who are you, stranger? "He growled.

  Trying to keep his teeth from chattering in fear Jam answered, "I'm Jam, from Ohio, and I want to go home."

  At his words, a puzzled look came over Terp's ugly countenance.

  "Jam!" He roared. "I've never seen any jam like this before. What flavor are you?"

  "Flavor?" Cried Jam. "I'm no flavor at all."

  "We'll see about that," rumbled Terp. "I'll take you home and eat you on my muffins. Then I'll know what flavor you are. Maybe I'll like you even better than grape jam."

  With these words, the purple giant strode along the path, holding tight to Jam who was struggling harder than ever to escape. Jam was too frightened to notice the beautiful countryside through which they were walking. As the giant circled the hill, a valley lay before their eyes. On the slopes of the hills grew vast vineyards, the vines heavy with purple grapes. Little dome-shaped houses nestled in groups in the vineyards and through the valley. The houses were painted purple and had purple flowers blooming in their gardens. Purple picket fences enclosed yards with lavender crocuses peeping through the grass while tall rows of purple hollyhocks guarded the doorways. Trellises covered with purple clematis arched the gateways of some of the homes. If the people had not had to slave for Terp, they would have enjoyed life in this beautiful place.

  Down in the valley was a larger domed building with a tall smokestack towering above it. This was the jam factory, where the luscious grapes from the hillside vineyards were carted in purple wagons, to be made into grape jam. There was much activity in the valley, as the Gillikens worked feverishly at their jam making, fearful of incurring the wrath of their harsh overseer.

  On one hillside, stood the palace of Terp, the Terrible. It was a huge building of purple-tinted marble built around three sides of an open court. The gardens surrounding the castle were a riot of exotic plants.

  The odor from their violet and lavender and purple hued blossoms perfumed the air and attracted swarms of bees and beautiful butterflies.

  As Terp strode into the courtyard, Jam, who had ceased struggling by now, got a glimpse of the famous muffin tree. It was a large tree in the center of the yard and on it grew the muffins that the giant ate.

  Chained to the trunk of the tree was a huge monster with a body shaped like an elephant, a tail like an alligator, and two large, ferocious heads, one an owl, and the other a wolf. The owl head was asleep, for it kept watch at night; but the wolf head was wide awake and the beast kept looking in all directions, watching for anyone who might try to destroy the tree.

  Terp flung Jam and his friends into a room in one of the castle towers, promising to return for Jam at breakfast time the next day. Then he slammed the heavy door and bolted it on the outside, so Jam could not escape from the room.

  "What'll we do now?" Cried the guinea pigs as Jam sadly took them from his pockets and set them down on the floor.

  Percy nimbly scampered down without assistance.

  "I don't know what to do," sighed Jam, close to tears. "I certainly don't want to be Terp's breakfast tomorrow morning."

  "Speaking of breakfast," squeaked Percy, "reminds me of food, and food reminds me that I'm hungry.

  Got anything good in that knapsack, kiddo?"

  Jam opened the pack and brought out some food which he shared with Pinny, Gig, and Percy. Even though their plight was as hopeless as ever, they felt better after they had eaten. Percy began making his inquisitive way around the room, sniffing and peering at everything.

  "Maybe we'll find a way to get out of here, "he said examining every nook and cranny.

  Jam helped in the exploration, while Pinny and Gig scampered about, peeking into dark corners with their beady little eyes. The light from the one casement window was beginning to fade, as night approached and the prisoners still had found no way of escape.

  Jam climbed up and looked out of the window, but they were too far from the ground to jump out, and there seemed to be no way to climb down the castle walls.

  Percy, however, was not so sure that the descent was impossible.

  "Let me see if I can get to the ground," he said.

  "Then maybe I can find some way to get all of us out of this ogre's clutches." Then, with a parting squeak of, "Keep a stiff upper lip, kiddo," he climbed over the window sill and disappeared from sight.

  Chapter 5

  Escape from the Tower

  EXHAUSTED from his experiences
, Jam lay down on the floor with his knapsack for a pillow and fell fast asleep. When he woke, it was night and the room was only dimly lighted by moonbeams that found their way through the casement windows. He sat up and stretched before he discovered that Pinny and Gig were watching the casement window intently.

  "We heard something outside," they told him.

  "It sounded like scratching on the wall."

  Jam hurried to the window and tried to see what had disturbed Pinny and Gig. In the dim light he could see something moving up the wall, something small and white.

  "It's Percy," he said to the little animals. "He's coming back. Hi, Percy," he called.

  "Shh. Someone will hear you," cautioned the pigs.

  Jam whispered, "Where have you been, Percy?"

  But the rat made no answer. He only climbed slowly higher and nearer to the prisoners.

  "He has something in his mouth, "exclaimed Jam as the rat became more distinct in the moonlight." It looks like a rope or vine. Yes, it is a vine. I can see the leaves on it. But why is he bringing it up here?"

  Soon Percy was close enough to the window so that Jam could reach down and take hold of the vine.

  "Be careful or-"

  -you'll fall! "Squeaked Pinny and Gig.

  As Jam took the vine, the white rat said," Thanks kiddo, "in a breathless voice, and with one quick jump he was in the window.

  "What's the vine for?" Asked the spotted pigs.

  "Let me catch my breath, kiddos, and I'll tell you my idea." After a moment Percy continued, "I think I've found a way for us to get away from here."

  "How? Oh tell us!" Cried Pinny and Gig.

  "Yes," said Jam. "I don't want to be eaten on muffins by Terp, the Terrible, and we haven't much time to think of an escape."

  "Well," said Percy, "you see, I climbed down into the garden to look around. There I found that a tall tree, as tall as the castle, is growing near this window. Grape vines had climbed up into the branches and twined around in the tree. Some of the ends of the vine hung down to the ground and seemed to be quite strong. I thought, smart boy that I am, that this was the answer to our dilemma. Just tie this vine around your waist, kiddo, and jump out of the window.

  You'll swing down to the ground that way."

  "Just like the monkeys in the jungle!"

  "Is it strong enough?" Asked Jam, pulling hard on the vine to test its strength. "Maybe it will break."

  "Well, kiddo, it's up to you," squeaked the rat, sitting up on his hind legs. "But if you don't try the vine, you'll make a vine breakfast for Terp," and he laughed at his joke.

  "That's not so funny," cried Pinny and Gig.

  "No, it isn't funny, at that," muttered Percy. "Let's get out of here!"

  "I guess there's nothing to do but try the vine,"

  said Jam. "It's our only chance to get away tonight"

  "And tomorrow's too late!"

  So Jam put on the knapsack, tucked Pinny and Gig in his pockets, and tied the vine tightly around his body under his arms.

  "I don't think I'll take the ride down," squeaked the rat. "After all, I can climb down all by myself."

  Jam climbed up on the window sill and sat there with his feet hanging outside the room.

  "It looks a long way down to the ground," he remarked nervously. "Do you think that--?"

  "Go on," interrupted Percy. "Jump! The longer you think about it, the harder it will be to make the plunge."

  "All right," said Jam, shutting his eyes tightly.

  "Here goes," and he jumped out from the window ledge.

  "Happy landing, kiddos," cried Percy, and then he began to scramble down the side of the building.

  Jam sailed down through the air, the swiftness of the fall taking his breath away. As he neared the ground, he began to swing back and forth, held safely by the grapevine. Slower and slower, in shorter and shorter arcs, he swung back and forth like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. Finally the swinging ceased altogether, and he hung suspended in air.

  Opening his eyes, he saw that he was hanging only a few inches from the ground; so, pulling his jackknife from his pocket, he cut the vine that held him and fell safely to earth.

  Percy, who had arrived at the ground level while Jam was still swinging from the tree, hurried over to where they were. "I think we can get away now," he whispered. "There aren't any guards around except the two-headed monster who watches the magic muffin tree."

  Quietly they stole around the castle, keeping in the shadow of the walls as much as possible. As they came to the front of the palace, they saw, dimly, the form of the two-headed monster guarding the magic muffin tree. His wolf head was asleep now, but the fierce owl head turned to and fro, blinking its huge round eyes and watching every movement that was made.

  "Say, I wonder what those muffins taste like?"

  Whispered Percy. "They must be something special to have a constant guard over them. I'd like to try one," and he licked his lips in anticipation.

  "You'd better forget them," cautioned Pinny and Gig.

  "We don't want you eaten by the monster," said Jam in a low tone. "Come on, let's get away from here as fast as possible. I wonder which way we should go?"

  "If you're going to find that famous woodman that the Gilliken slaves talked about, you'll have to head west," said Percy.

  "Yes, but I'm not sure of the direction," replied Jam in worried tones.

  "The important thing now is to get away from the castle and find some place to hide until morning,"

  said Percy. "Then we can tell which direction is west by watching the sun."

  "That's right," said Jam. "The sun comes up in the east. We can go away from it, and we'll be heading west"

  Chapter 6

  Percy and the Muffin Tree

  SO the little party made their way quickly down the road away from the castle. But Percy was not satisfied. He kept thinking about the magic muffins and wishing that he could have one. The longer he thought about the tree, the more sure he was that he could elude the monster and steal one of the muffins.

  He knew, however, that Jam would not approve of this at all; so he decided to slip away from Jam and the guinea pigs and hurry back to the famous magic muffin tree.

  Jam was so intent on putting as much distance as possible between himself and the castle that he failed to notice that Percy was not scampering along behind him. On he hurried through the pale moonlit night, while Percy raced in the opposite direction back toward the castle from which they had just escaped. Although he knew that the owl head could see well at night and that owls like to eat rats, he hoped that the monster would not notice so small a creature as he was. When he came again to the courtyard, he moved very slowly and cautiously, creeping in the shadows and circling 'round the tree so that he was behind the huge beast that stood there. The only sound that broke the stillness was the faint clink of metal links as the chain that held the monster moved with the owl head.

  Inching forward, Percy reached the trunk of the magic tree without being discovered by the great owl head. Quietly, quietly, he crept up the tree, carefully testing each foothold, so that he would make no noise and call the monster's attention to him. At last he reached the first branch and could see ahead of him one of the muffins growing out on a stem from the larger limb. As yet the huge beast beneath him had no idea that he was trying to steal some of the precious muffins. Percy crept closer and closer, and at last he was within reach of the first magic muffin on the tree. With a quick snatch, he seized it in his mouth, broke it from the twig on which it grew, and dashed down the tree.

  The snap of the twig had roused the huge owl head so that the beast whirled toward the tree and made a lunge at the flying white figure. Percy knew that the time for caution had passed, so he raced down the tree, leaped across the monster's tail, and streaked away through the night. With a scream of anger, the guard of the magic muffin tree jumped at the rat, but the chain that bound the brute to the trunk was too short to allow him to go more th
an a few feet from under the branches. So he stood straining at the chain, hooting in frustrated fury.

  The uproar waked Terp, the Terrible, who jumped out of bed, dashed to a window, flung it open, and leaned out over the courtyard, trying to see what was happening. In the dim and fitful moonlight he could see the beast and the muffin tree; but he was unable to see Percy, who by this time had sped away after his companions and was out of sight. Seeing no one the giant decided that some stray night bird had disturbed the two-headed monster, so he closed the window and climbed back into bed, little knowing that one of his precious muffins was being carried farther and farther away from the castle. He fell asleep and dreamed that he was eating Jam and muffins for breakfast, unaware that both muffin and Jam were now out of his clutches.

  Chapter 7

  Jam Meets the Equinots

  THE first faint hint of dawn was touching the eastern sky as Jam reached the edge of the great plain he had seen the day before. Pausing to rest, he realized for the first time that Percy was not with him.

  "Percy. Percy," he called. "Where are you?" But no one answered him.

  "What's happened to Percy?" Asked his other little friends.

  "I don't know," he said. "I thought he was right behind me, but he doesn't seem to be here at all. I wonder if he got lost or if something has happened to him? Do you think that we should go back for him?"

  "If we do Terp will get us," exclaimed Pinny and Gig.

  "You don't want that to happen."

  "No, because I don't want to be a giant's breakfast," he said. "It seems too bad to leave Percy behind, but we'll all be killed if we go back for him now."

  "Percy can take care of himself," added the other two.

  "Well, he does seem to be clever, because he helped us to escape. It's ungrateful of us to leave him now I suppose; and yet that's all that we can do. I don't want to stop here, for Terp might catch up with us even now, when he discovers that we have slipped away. When we get across the plain, I can stop and sleep for a while."