The Tin Woodman of Oz Page 5

  Chapter Five

  Mrs. Yoop, the Giantess

  When they had reached the end of the path, where they had first seenthe warning sign, they set off across the country in an easterlydirection. Before long they reached Rolling Lands, which were asuccession of hills and valleys where constant climbs and descents wererequired, and their journey now became tedious, because on climbingeach hill, they found before them nothing in the valley below it exceptgrass, or weeds or stones.

  Up and down they went for hours, with nothing to relieve the monotonyof the landscape, until finally, when they had topped a higher hillthan usual, they discovered a cup-shaped valley before them in thecenter of which stood an enormous castle, built of purple stone. Thecastle was high and broad and long, but had no turrets and towers. Sofar as they could see, there was but one small window and one big dooron each side of the great building.

  "This is strange!" mused the Scarecrow. "I'd no idea such a big castleexisted in this Gillikin Country. I wonder who lives here?"

  "It seems to me, from this distance," remarked the Tin Woodman, "thatit's the biggest castle I ever saw. It is really too big for any use,and no one could open or shut those big doors without a stepladder."

  "Perhaps, if we go nearer, we shall find out whether anybody livesthere or not," suggested Woot. "Looks to me as if nobody lived there."

  On they went, and when they reached the center of the valley, where thegreat stone castle stood, it was beginning to grow dark. So theyhesitated as to what to do.

  "If friendly people happen to live here," said Woot. "I shall be gladof a bed; but should enemies occupy the place, I prefer to sleep uponthe ground."

  "And if no one at all lives here," added the Scarecrow, "we can enter,and take possession, and make ourselves at home."

  While speaking he went nearer to one of the great doors, which wasthree times as high and broad as any he had ever seen in a housebefore, and then he discovered, engraved in big letters upon a stoneover the doorway, the words:

  "YOOP CASTLE"

  "Oho!" he exclaimed; "I know the place now. This was probably the homeof Mr. Yoop, a terrible giant whom I have seen confined in a cage, along way from here. Therefore this castle is likely to be empty and wemay use it in any way we please."

  "Yes, yes," said the Tin Emperor, nodding; "I also remember Mr. Yoop.But how are we to get into his deserted castle? The latch of the dooris so far above our heads that none of us can reach it."

  They considered this problem for a while, and then Woot said to the TinMan:

  "If I stand upon your shoulders, I think I can unlatch the door."

  "Climb up, then," was the reply, and when the boy was perched upon thetin shoulders of Nick Chopper, he was just able to reach the latch andraise it.

  At once the door swung open, its great hinges making a groaning soundas if in protest, so Woot leaped down and followed his companions intoa big, bare hallway. Scarcely were the three inside, however, when theyheard the door slam shut behind them, and this astonished them becauseno one had touched it. It had closed of its own accord, as if by magic.Moreover, the latch was on the outside, and the thought occurred toeach one of them that they were now prisoners in this unknown castle.

  "However," mumbled the Scarecrow, "we are not to blame for what cannotbe helped; so let us push bravely ahead and see what may be seen."

  It was quite dark in the hallway, now that the outside door was shut,so as they stumbled along a stone passage they kept close together, notknowing what danger was likely to befall them.

  Suddenly a soft glow enveloped them. It grew brighter, until they couldsee their surroundings distinctly. They had reached the end of thepassage and before them was another huge door. This noiselessly swungopen before them, without the help of anyone, and through the doorwaythey observed a big chamber, the walls of which were lined with platesof pure gold, highly polished.

  This room was also lighted, although they could discover no lamps, andin the center of it was a great table at which sat an immense woman.She was clad in silver robes embroidered with gay floral designs, andwore over this splendid raiment a short apron of elaborate lace-work.Such an apron was no protection, and was not in keeping with thehandsome gown, but the huge woman wore it, nevertheless. The table atwhich she sat was spread with a white cloth and had golden dishes uponit, so the travelers saw that they had surprised the Giantess while shewas eating her supper.

  She had her back toward them and did not even turn around, but taking abiscuit from a dish she began to butter it and said in a voice that wasbig and deep but not especially unpleasant:

  "Why don't you come in and allow the door to shut? You're causing adraught, and I shall catch cold and sneeze. When I sneeze, I get cross,and when I get cross I'm liable to do something wicked. Come in, youfoolish strangers; come in!"

  Being thus urged, they entered the room and approached the table, untilthey stood where they faced the great Giantess. She continued eating,but smiled in a curious way as she looked at them. Woot noticed thatthe door had closed silently after they had entered, and that didn'tplease him at all.

  "Well," said the Giantess, "what excuse have you to offer?"

  "We didn't know anyone lived here, Madam," explained the Scarecrow;"so, being travelers and strangers in these parts, and wishing to finda place for our boy friend to sleep, we ventured to enter your castle."

  "You knew it was private property, I suppose?" said she, butteringanother biscuit.

  "We saw the words, 'Yoop Castle,' over the door, but we knew that Mr.Yoop is a prisoner in a cage in a far-off part of the land of Oz, so wedecided there was no one now at home and that we might use the castlefor the night."

  "I see," remarked the Giantess, nodding her head and smiling again inthat curious way--a way that made Woot shudder. "You didn't know thatMr. Yoop was married, or that after he was cruelly captured his wifestill lived in his castle and ran it to suit herself."

  "Who captured Mr. Yoop?" asked Woot, looking gravely at the big woman.

  "Wicked enemies. People who selfishly objected to Yoop's taking theircows and sheep for his food. I must admit, however, that Yoop had a badtemper, and had the habit of knocking over a few houses, now and then,when he was angry. So one day the little folks came in a great crowdand captured Mr. Yoop, and carried him away to a cage somewhere in themountains. I don't know where it is, and I don't care, for my husbandtreated me badly at times, forgetting the respect a giant owes to agiantess. Often he kicked me on my shins, when I wouldn't wait on him.So I'm glad he is gone."

  "It's a wonder the people didn't capture you, too," remarked Woot.

  "Well, I was too clever for them," said she, giving a sudden laugh thatcaused such a breeze that the wobbly Scarecrow was almost blown off hisfeet and had to grab his friend Nick Chopper to steady himself. "I sawthe people coming," continued Mrs. Yoop, "and knowing they meantmischief I transformed myself into a mouse and hid in a cupboard. Afterthey had gone away, carrying my shin-kicking husband with them, Itransformed myself back to my former shape again, and here I've livedin peace and comfort ever since."

  "Are you a Witch, then?" inquired Woot.

  "Well, not exactly a Witch," she replied, "but I'm an Artist inTransformations. In other words, I'm more of a Yookoohoo than a Witch,and of course you know that the Yookoohoos are the cleverestmagic-workers in the world."

  The travelers were silent for a time, uneasily considering thisstatement and the effect it might have on their future. No doubt theGiantess had wilfully made them her prisoners; yet she spoke socheerfully, in her big voice, that until now they had not been alarmedin the least.

  By and by the Scarecrow, whose mixed brains had been working steadily,asked the woman:

  "Are we to consider you our friend, Mrs. Yoop, or do you intend to beour enemy?"

  "I never have friends," she said in a matter-of-fact tone, "becausefriends get too familiar and always forget to mind their own business.But I am not your enemy; not yet, anyhow. Indeed, I
'm glad you've come,for my life here is rather lonely. I've had no one to talk to since Itransformed Polychrome, the Daughter of the Rainbow, into acanary-bird."

  "How did you manage to do that?" asked the Tin Woodman, in amazement."Polychrome is a powerful fairy!"

  "She was," said the Giantess; "but now she's a canary-bird. One dayafter a rain, Polychrome danced off the Rainbow and fell asleep on alittle mound in this valley, not far from my castle. The sun came outand drove the Rainbow away, and before Poly wakened, I stole out andtransformed her into a canary-bird in a gold cage studded withdiamonds. The cage was so she couldn't fly away. I expected she'd singand talk and we'd have good times together; but she has proved nocompany for me at all. Ever since the moment of her transformation, shehas refused to speak a single word."

  "Where is she now?" inquired Woot, who had heard tales of lovelyPolychrome and was much interested in her.

  "The cage is hanging up in my bedroom," said the Giantess, eatinganother biscuit. The travelers were now more uneasy and suspicious ofthe Giantess than before. If Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter, whowas a real fairy, had been transformed and enslaved by this huge woman,who claimed to be a Yookoohoo, what was liable to happen to them? Saidthe Scarecrow, twisting his stuffed head around in Mrs. Yoop'sdirection:

  "Do you know, Ma'am, who we are?"

  "Of course," said she; "a straw man, a tin man and a boy."

  "We are very important people," declared the Tin Woodman.

  "All the better," she replied. "I shall enjoy your society the more onthat account. For I mean to keep you here as long as I live, to amuseme when I get lonely. And," she added slowly, "in this Valley no oneever dies."

  They didn't like this speech at all, so the Scarecrow frowned in a waythat made Mrs. Yoop smile, while the Tin Woodman looked so fierce thatMrs. Yoop laughed. The Scarecrow suspected she was going to laugh, sohe slipped behind his friends to escape the wind from her breath. Fromthis safe position he said warningly:

  "We have powerful friends who will soon come to rescue us."

  "Let them come," she returned, with an accent of scorn. "When they gethere they will find neither a boy, nor a tin man, nor a scarecrow, fortomorrow morning I intend to transform you all into other shapes, sothat you cannot be recognized."

  This threat filled them with dismay. The good-natured Giantess was moreterrible than they had imagined. She could smile and wear prettyclothes and at the same time be even more cruel than her wicked husbandhad been.

  Both the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman tried to think of some way toescape from the castle before morning, but she seemed to read theirthoughts and shook her head.

  "Don't worry your poor brains," said she. "You can't escape me, howeverhard you try. But why should you wish to escape? I shall give you newforms that are much better than the ones you now have. Be contentedwith your fate, for discontent leads to unhappiness, and unhappiness,in any form, is the greatest evil that can befall you."

  "What forms do you intend to give us?" asked Woot earnestly.

  "I haven't decided, as yet. I'll dream over it tonight, so in themorning I shall have made up my mind how to transform you. Perhapsyou'd prefer to choose your own transformations?"

  "No," said Woot, "I prefer to remain as I am."

  "That's funny," she retorted. "You are little, and you're weak; as youare, you're not much account, anyhow. The best thing about you is thatyou're alive, for I shall be able to make of you some sort of livecreature which will be a great improvement on your present form."

  She took another biscuit from a plate and dipped it in a pot of honeyand calmly began eating it.

  The Scarecrow watched her thoughtfully.

  "There are no fields of grain in your Valley," said he; "where, then,did you get the flour to make your biscuits?"

  "Mercy me! do you think I'd bother to make biscuits out of flour?" shereplied. "That is altogether too tedious a process for a Yookoohoo. Iset some traps this afternoon and caught a lot of field-mice, but as Ido not like to eat mice, I transformed them into hot biscuits for mysupper. The honey in this pot was once a wasp's nest, but since beingtransformed it has become sweet and delicious. All I need do, when Iwish to eat, is to take something I don't care to keep, and transformit into any sort of food I like, and eat it. Are you hungry?"

  "I don't eat, thank you," said the Scarecrow.

  "Nor do I," said the Tin Woodman.

  "I have still a little natural food in my knapsack," said Woot theWanderer, "and I'd rather eat that than any wasp's nest."

  "Every one to his taste," said the Giantess carelessly, and having nowfinished her supper she rose to her feet, clapped her hands together,and the supper table at once disappeared.