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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Chapter 12. The Search for the Wicked Witch
The soldier with green whiskers led them through Emerald City streets to room where the Guardian of the Gates lived.
This officer unlocked their glasses to put them back in his great box, and then he kindly opened the gate for our friends.
"Which road leads to the Wicked Witch of the West?" asked Dorothy.
"There's no road," answered the Guardian of the Gates.
"No one ever wishes to go that way."
"How, then, are we to find her?" asked the girl.
"That'll be easy," replied the man.
"For when she knows you're in the country of the Winkies she'll find you, and make you all her slaves."
"Perhaps not," said the Scarecrow, "for we mean to destroy her."
"Oh, that's different," said the Guardian of the Gates.
"No one has ever destroyed her before, so I naturally thought she'd make slaves of you, as she has of the rest."
"But take care, for she's wicked and fierce, and may not allow you to destroy her."
"Keep to the West, where the sun sets, and you can't fail to find her."
They thanked him and bade him good-bye, and turned toward the West, walking over fields of soft grass dotted here.
They walked there among the fields of daisies and yellow buttercups.
Dorothy still wore the pretty silk dress she had put on in the palace.
To her surprise, it was no longer green but pure white.
The ribbon around Toto's neck had also lost its green color and was as white as Dorothy's dress.
The Emerald City was soon left far behind.
As they went on, the ground became rougher and hillier.
There were no farms or houses in this country of the West, so the land was not cared for.
In the afternoon the sun shone hot in their faces, for there were no trees to give them shade.
Before night Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion were tired and lay down on the grass to sleep.
The Woodman and the Scarecrow stayed awake and kept watch.
Now the Wicked Witch of the West had but one eye, yet that was as powerful as a telescope, and could see everywhere.
Sitting in her castle door, she looked around and saw Dorothy asleep with her friends all around.
They were a long distance off, but the Wicked Witch was angry to find them in her country.
So she blew on 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 ran 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'll meet them as they come."
He took his axe, which he had made very sharp.
As the leader of the wolves came on, the Tin Woodman swung his arm and cut the wolf's head from its body.
It at once died, As soon as he could raise his axe another wolf came up.
And it also fell under the sharp edge of the Tin Woodman's weapon.
There were forty wolves, and forty were killed, so they 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 woke 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 on their journey.
That morning Wicked Witch went to her castle door and looked out with her one eye that could see far
She saw all her wolves lying dead, and the strangers still walking 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 won't be harmed."
So they all lay on 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 didn't dare to come any nearer.
But the King Crow said, in a loud, cruel voice
"It's only a stuffed man. I'll 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 on their journey.
The Wicked Witch looked out again and saw all her crows lying in a heap.
She went into a terrible rage and blew three times on 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!"
Ordered the Witch, and the bees turned and flew quickly 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 can't sting them."
"The Woodman did so, and as Dorothy lay close beside the Lion holding Toto, the straw covered them all."
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 can't 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.
The girl helped the Tin Woodman put straw back into the Scarecrow until he was as good as ever.
So they started on their journey once more.
The Wicked Witch was very angry when she saw her black bees in little heaps like fine coal.
She stamped her foot, tore her hair, and gnashed her teeth.
She called a dozen of her slaves, who were the Winkies, and gave them sharp spears.
She told them to go to the strangers and destroy them.
The Winkies weren't 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 roared and jumped at them, and the poor Winkies ran away in great fear.
When they returned to the castle the Wicked Witch beat them well with a strap.
She sent them back to their work and sat down to think what she should do next.
She couldn't understand how all her plans to destroy these strangers had failed.
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 on 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 second time was when she had fought against the Great Oz himself, and driven him out of the land of the West.
The Winged Monkeys had also helped her in doing this.
She could use the Golden Cap only once more, so she saved it until her other powers were gone.
Her fierce wolves, her wild crows, and her stinging bees were gone, and the Cowardly Lion had scared away her slaves.
She saw there was only one way left to destroy Dorothy and her friends.
So the Wicked Witch took the Golden Cap from her cupboard and put it on her head.
Then she stood on her left foot and said, slowly,
"Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!"
Next she stood on her right foot and said,
"Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!"
After this she stood on both feet and cried in a loud voice,
"Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!"
Now the charm began to work.
The sky was darkened, and a low rumbling sound was heard in the air.
There was a rushing of many wings and a great chattering and laughing.
The sun came out of the dark sky and showed the Wicked Witch surrounded by a crowd of monkeys.
Each monkey had a pair of immense, strong wings on his shoulders.
One, much bigger than the others, seemed to be their leader.
He flew close to the Witch and said, "You have called us for the third and last time. What do you command?"
"Go to the strangers who are within my land and destroy them all except the Lion," said the Wicked Witch.
"Bring that beast to me, for I have a mind to harness him like a horse, and make him work."
"Your commands shall be obeyed," said the leader.
Then, making noise, the Winged Monkeys flew to where Dorothy and her friends were walking.
Some Monkeys seized the Tin Woodman and carried him through the air over a country of sharp rocks.
Here they dropped the poor Woodman, who fell a great distance to the rocks.
He lay so battered and dented that he could neither move nor groan.
Others of the Monkeys caught the Scarecrow, and with their long fingers pulled all of the straw out of his clothes and head.
They made his hat and boots and clothes into a small bundle and threw it into the top branches of a tall tree.
The remaining Monkeys threw pieces of strong rope around the Lion and wound loops around his body, head, and legs.
They tied him so he could not bite or scratch or move in any way.
Then they lifted him up and flew away with him to the Witch's castle.
There he was placed in a small yard with a high iron fence so he couldn't escape.
But Dorothy they didn't harm at all.
She stood, with Toto in her arms, watching the sad fate of her comrades and thinking it would soon be her turn.
The leader of the Winged Monkeys flew up to her, his long, hairy arms stretched out and his ugly face grinning terribly.
Then he saw the mark of the Good Witch's kiss upon her forehead and stopped short, motioning the others not to touch her.
"We dare not harm this little girl,"
He said to them, "She is under the Power of Good, greater than the Power of Evil."
"All we can do is carry her to the castle of the Wicked Witch and leave her there".
Carefully and gently, they lifted Dorothy in their arms and carried her swiftly through the air.
They came to the castle and set her down on the front doorstep.
Then the leader said to the Witch,
"We have obeyed you as far as we were able."
"The Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow are destroyed, and the Lion is tied up in your yard."
"The little girl we dare not harm, nor the dog she carries in her arms."
"Your power over our band is now ended, and you'll never see us again."
Then all the Winged Monkeys, with much laughing and chattering and noise, flew into the air and were soon out of sight.
The Wicked Witch was surprised and worried when she saw the mark on Dorothy's forehead.
She knew the Winged Monkeys and she herself could not hurt the girl.
She looked at Dorothy's feet and trembled, seeing the Silver Shoes, for she knew their great power.
At first the Witch was tempted to run away from Dorothy.
But she happened to look into the child's eyes and saw how simple the soul behind them was.
She realized the little girl didn't know of the wonderful power the Silver Shoes gave her.
So the Wicked Witch laughed to herself, and thought,
"I can still make her my slave, for she doesn't know how to use her power."
Then she said to Dorothy, harshly and severely.
"Come with me, and see that you mind everything I tell you," said the Witch.
"If you don't, I'll make an end of you, as I did of the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow".
Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle, they came to the kitchen.
There the Witch told her to clean the pots and kettles, sweep the floor, and keep the fire fed with wood.
Dorothy went to work quietly and decided to work as hard as she could.
She was glad the Wicked Witch had decided not to kill her.
With Dorothy hard at work, the Witch thought she'd go into the courtyard and harness the Cowardly Lion like a horse.
It would amuse her, she was sure, to make him draw her chariot whenever she wished to go for a drive.
As she opened the gate the Lion gave a loud roar and jumped at her so hard.
The Witch was afraid and ran out and shut the gate again.
"If I can't harness you," said the Witch to the Lion, speaking through the bars of the gate.
"I can starve you. You shall have nothing to eat until you do as I wish."
So after that she took no food to the imprisoned Lion, but every day she came to the gate at noon and asked,
"Are you ready to be harnessed like a horse?"
And the Lion would answer, "No. If you come in this yard, I'll bite you."
The reason the Lion didn't have to do as the Witch wished was that every night the woman was asleep.
Dorothy carried him food from the cupboard.
After he had eaten, he'd lie down on his bed of straw.
Dorothy would lie beside him and put her head on his soft, shaggy mane.
They talked of their troubles and tried to plan some way to escape.
But they could find no way to get out of the castle.
It was always watched by the yellow Winkies.
They were the slaves of the Wicked Witch and too afraid not to disobey her.
The girl had to work hard every day.
Often the Witch threatened to hit her with the same old umbrella she always carried.
But, in truth, she didn't dare to strike Dorothy, because of the mark upon her forehead.
The child didn't know this, and was full of fear for herself and Toto.
Once the Witch struck Toto with her umbrella and the brave little dog flew at her and bit her leg in return.
The Witch did not bleed when Toto bit her, she was so wicked her blood had dried years before.
Dorothy's life became sad as she learned it would be harder than ever to return to Kansas and Aunt Em.
Sometimes she cried for hours, Toto at her feet, looking up and whining to show how sorry he was.
Toto didn't really care whether he was in Kansas or the Land of Oz.
He only wanted Dorothy to be with him.
He knew the little girl was unhappy, and that made him unhappy too.
Now the Wicked Witch had a great longing to have the Silver Shoes which the girl always wore.
Her bees and her crows and her wolves were lying in heaps and drying up.
She had used up all the power of the Golden Cap.
If she could only get hold of the Silver Shoes, they'd give her more power than all the other things she had lost.
She watched Dorothy carefully, to see if she ever took off her shoes, thinking she might steal them.
But the child was proud of her shoes and never took them off except at night or during her bath.
The Witch was too afraid of the dark to go into Dorothy's room at night to take the shoes.
Her fear of water was greater than her fear of the dark.
So she never came near when Dorothy was bathing.
Indeed, the old Witch never touched water, nor ever let water touch her in any way.
But the wicked creature was very clever.
And she finally thought of a trick that would give her what she wanted.
She put an iron bar in the kitchen floor and by magic made it invisible.
So when Dorothy walked across the floor she stumbled over the bar, not being able to see it, and fell full length.
She wasn't much hurt, but in her fall one of the Silver Shoes came off.
Before she could reach it, the Witch snatched it away and put it on her own skinny foot.
The wicked woman was very pleased with the success of her trick.
As long as she had one of the shoes, she owned half the power of their charm.
Dorothy couldn't use it against her, even if she had known how.
The little girl, seeing she had lost one of her pretty shoes, grew angry, and said to the Witch, "Give me back my shoe!"
"I won't," replied the Witch, "for it's now my shoe, and not yours."
"You're a wicked creature!" cried Dorothy.
"You have no right to take my shoe from me."
"I shall keep it, just the same," said the Witch, laughing at her, "and someday I shall get the other one from you, too."
This made Dorothy so very angry that she picked up the bucket of water that stood near.
She dashed it over the Witch, wetting her from head to foot.
Instantly the wicked woman cried out, and as Dorothy watched, the Witch began to shrink and melt.
"See what you have done!" she screamed.
"In a minute I shall melt away."
"I'm very sorry, indeed," said Dorothy, who was truly frightened to see the Witch actually melting away like brown sugar before her very eyes.
"Didn't you know water would be the end of me?" asked the Witch, in a wailing, despairing voice.
"Of course not," answered Dorothy.
"How should I?"
"Well, in a few minutes I shall be all melted, and you'll have the castle to yourself."
"I have been wicked in my day,"
"But I never thought a little girl like you'd ever be able to melt me and end my wicked deeds."
"Look out, here I go!"
Then the Witch fell, a brown melted mass with no shape, spreading over the kitchen floor.
Seeing that she had really melted away to nothing, Dorothy drew another bucket of water and threw it over the mess.
She then swept it all out the door.
She picked out the silver shoe, which was all that was left of the old woman.
She cleaned and dried it with a cloth and put it on her foot again.
Then, at last free to do as she chose, she ran out to the courtyard.
She went to tell the Lion that the Wicked Witch of the West had come to an end.
She told him they were no longer prisoners in a strange land.