The plan to retake the Emerald City was simple: Word would be sent to Glinda to inform her of the situation and to secure the Gillikin Country; Boq's 2nd-in-command would travel across Winkie Country and rally support from the people while, Boq, Fiyero, Tip, Liir, Jack, and Yero would travel to the Emerald City and rally support as they went. After three days of planning, preparing, and gaining the necessary supplies, the groups were off.
The Emerald City group had set out bright and early. Boq had made sure to polish and sharpen his axe beforehand, and carried it in a luxurious blue and yellow holster. Fiyero had secured a pistol that he carried in a yellow and blue holster, and a riffle that he carried on his back. Tip and Liir mended the wooden limbs of Jack Pumpkinhead and made them stronger than before, and the Saw-Horse was also inspected to see if he was in good working order.
The Winkie group had set out an hour after the Emerald City group, as it was feared disturbing the other tribes at an early hour would dissuade them from joining forces.
Now, General Jinjur—who, you will remember, commanded the Army of Revolt—was rendered very uneasy by the escape of the Scarecrow from the Emerald City. She feared, and with good reason, that if his Majesty and the Tinman Joined forces, it would mean danger to her and her entire army; for the people of Oz had not yet forgotten the deeds of these famous heroes, who had passed successfully through so many startling adventures. Also she feared word getting to Glinda, who would no doubt release her furry upon the rebels if the messaging wasn't worded carefully.
So Jinjur sent post-haste for old Mombi, the witch, and promised her large rewards if she would come to the assistance of the rebel army.
Mombi was furious at the trick Tip had played upon her as well as at his escape and the theft of the precious Powder of Life; so she needed no urging to induce her to travel to the Emerald City to assist Jinjur in defeating the Scarecrow and the Tinman, who had made Tip one of their friends.
Mombi had no sooner arrived at the royal palace than she discovered, by means of her secret magic, about the plans to retake the Emerald City; so she retired to a small room high up in a tower and locked herself in while she practiced such arts as she could command to prevent the return of the Scarecrow and his companions.
That was why the Tinman presently stopped and said, "Something very curious has happened. I ought to know by heart and every step of this Journey, yet I fear we have already lost our way."
"That is quite impossible!" protested the Scarecrow. "Why do you think, my dear friend, that we have gone astray?"
"Why, here before us is a great field of sunflowers—and I never saw this field before in all my life."
At these words they all looked around, only to find that they were indeed surrounded by a field of tall stalks, every stalk bearing at its top a gigantic sunflower. And not only were these flowers almost blinding in their vivid hues of red and gold, but each one whirled around upon its stalk like a miniature wind-mill, completely dazzling the vision of the beholders and so mystifying them that they knew not which way to turn.
"It's witchcraft!" exclaimed Tip.
"Sure is." Liir concluded after examining the flowers. "Looks like the rebels are spying on us."
If the Scarecrow were made of flesh and bone, he would've grown pale at his son's words. Instead, he merely acted like it and said, "How much do you think they know?"
"Hard to say." Liir replied, "But I reckon they don't know about my parents."
"I sure hope so." the Scarecrow sighed. The last thing he needed was two different revolts going on at the same time.
The Tinman looked at the sunflowers, he was sure his axe could cut through them. However, just as he was about to cut down the stalks before him, the sunflowers suddenly stopped their rapid whirling, and the travelers plainly saw a girl's face appear in the center of each flower. These lovely faces looked upon the astonished band with mocking smiles, and then burst into a chorus of merry laughter at the dismay their appearance caused.
"Sweet Oz!" Boq cried.
"They're alive!" cried Tip.
Boq loosened his grip and put his axe away. He couldn't bring himself to cut down such young-looking creatures.
"This looks like an illusion." Liir stated, "A powerful one. I bet there aren't any sunflowers here at all."
"So, we just walk forward?" Tip asked.
"More like run dear." Liir replied.
"Ok," Fiyero said in a loud whisper, "here's the plan." Everyone gathered around him and he spoke in a normal whisper, "so, on count of three, we run and use the sun to navigate? Are we clear?"
The others nodded.
"Ok." Fiyero replied, then they prepared to run. "One, two, THREE!"
Liir urged his broom boldly forward with his boyfriend holding on to him tightly. The the Saw-Horse made a mad dash with the Pumpkinhead holding on tight. The Scarecrow and the Tinman brought up the rear. None of them dared to stop until a joyful shout from Jack announced that the way was clear before them.
Then all paused to look backward, but not a trace of the field of sunflowers remained.
More cheerfully, now they proceeded upon their Journey; but old Mombi had so changed the appearance of the landscape that they would surely have been lost had not the Scarecrow wisely concluded to take their direction from the sun. For no witch-craft could change the course of the sun, and it was therefore a safe guide.
However, other difficulties lay before them. The Saw-Horse stepped into a rabbit hole and fell to the ground. The Pumpkinhead was pitched high into the air, and his history would probably have ended at that exact moment had not the Tinman skillfully caught the pumpkin as it descended and saved it from injury.
Tip soon had it fitted to the neck again and replaced Jack upon his feet. But the Saw-Horse did not escape so easily. For when his leg was pulled from the rabbit hole it was found to be broken short off, and must be replaced or repaired before he could go a step farther.
"This is quite serious," said the Tinman. "If there were trees near by I might soon manufacture another leg for this animal; but I cannot see even a shrub for miles around."
"And there are neither fences nor houses in this part of the land of Oz." added the Scarecrow, disconsolately.
"Don't look at me," Liir told the group, "the repair spell I used for his ear won't work on a broken leg, and none of the wood I can make is suitable for walking on. At least not yet."
"Then what shall we do?" enquired Yero the Saw-Horse.
"Let us all think," said Tip; "and perhaps we shall find a way to repair Yero."
So they sat upon the grass, making sure to hide Liir going through the Grimmerie, and began to think. Meanwhile the Saw-Horse occupied itself by gazing curiously upon its broken limb.
"Does it hurt?" asked the Tinman, in a soft, sympathetic voice.
"Not in the least," returned the Saw-Horse; "but my pride is injured to find that my anatomy is so brittle."
After a few moments, Liir exclaimed, "I got it! Why don't we replace Yero's limbs with metal!"
"Metal?" Yero asked.
"Yes." Liir answered, "Don't worry, I've gotten better at conjuring metal since last time. Metal is stronger than wood, so it should work."
"Will it be uncomfortable?" Yero asked.
"Hopefully not." Liir replied. Then he started looking for the right spell.
However, no sooner than he found it, the Tinman raised his head and looked over the fields. "What sort of creature is that which approaches us?" he asked, wonderingly.
The others followed his gaze, and discovered coming toward them the most extraordinary object they had ever beheld. It advanced quickly and noiselessly over the soft grass and in a few minutes stood before the adventurers and regarded them with an astonishment equal to their own.
The Scarecrow, maintaining a calm exterior, politely greeted the stranger, "Good morning!"
The stranger removed his hat with a flourish, bowed very low, and then responded, "Good morning, one and all. I hope you are, as an aggregation, enjoying excellent health. Permit me to present my card."
With this courteous speech it extended a card toward the Scarecrow, who accepted it, and read aloud: "MR. H. M. WOGGLE-BUG, T. E."
"Dear me!" ejaculated the Pumpkinhead, staring somewhat intently.
"How very peculiar!" said the Tinman.
Tip's eyes were round and wondering, and the Saw-Horse uttered a sigh and turned away its head. Liir quickly marked the page he was on and held his copy of the Grimmerie.
"Are you really a Woggle-Bug?" enquired the Scarecrow, having never seen so large a bug before.
"Most certainly, my dear sir!" answered the stranger, briskly. "Is not my name upon the card?"
"It is," said the Scarecrow. "But may I ask what 'H. M.' stands for?"
"'H. M.' means Highly Magnified," returned the Woggle-Bug, proudly.
"Oh, I see." The Scarecrow viewed the stranger critically. "And are you, in truth, highly magnified?"
"Sir," said the Woggle-Bug, "I take you for a gentleman of judgment and discernment. Does it not occur to you that I am several thousand times greater than any Woggle-Bug you ever saw before? Therefore it is plainly evident that I am Highly Magnified, and there is no good reason why you should doubt the fact."
"Pardon me," returned the Scarecrow, trying to uphold his current persona, "My brains are slightly mixed since I was last laundered. Would it be improper for me to ask, also, what the 'T.E.' at the end of your name stands for?"
"Those letters express my degree," answered the Woggle-Bug, with a condescending smile. "To be more explicit, the initials mean that I am Thoroughly Educated."
"Oh!" said the Scarecrow, much relieved.
Tip had not yet taken his eyes off this wonderful personage. What he saw was a great, round, buglike body supported upon two slender legs which ended in delicate feet—the toes curling upward. The body of the Woggle-Bug was rather flat, and judging from what could be seen of it was of a glistening dark brown color upon the back, while the front was striped with alternate bands of light brown and white, blending together at the edges. Its arms were fully as slender as its legs, and upon a rather long neck was perched its head—not unlike the head of a man, except that its nose ended in a curling antenna, or "feeler," and its ears from the upper points bore antennae that decorated the sides of its head like two miniature, curling pig tails. It must be admitted that the round, black eyes were rather bulging in appearance; but the expression upon the Woggle-Bug's face was by no means unpleasant.
For dress the insect wore a dark-blue swallowtail coat with a yellow silk lining and a flower in the button-hole; a vest of white duck that stretched tightly across the wide body; knickerbockers of fawn-colored plush, fastened at the knees with gilt buckles; and, perched upon its small head, was jauntily set a tall silk hat.
Standing upright before our amazed friends the Woggle-Bug appeared to be fully as tall as the Tinman; and surely no bug in all the Land of Oz had ever before attained so enormous a size.
"I confess," said the Scarecrow, "that your abrupt appearance has caused me surprise, and no doubt has startled my companions. I hope, however, that this circumstance will not distress you. We shall probably get used to you in time."
"Do not apologize, I beg of you!" returned the Woggle-Bug, earnestly. "It affords me great pleasure to surprise people; for surely I cannot be classed with ordinary insects and am entitled to both curiosity and admiration from those I meet."
"You are, indeed," agreed his Majesty.
"If you will permit me to seat myself in your august company," continued the stranger, "I will gladly relate my history, so that you will be better able to comprehend my unusual—may I say remarkable?—appearance."
"You may say what you please." answered the Tinman, briefly.
So the Woggle-Bug sat down upon the grass, facing the little group of wanderers, and told them the following story:
"It is but honest that I should acknowledge at the beginning of my recital that I was born an ordinary Woggle-Bug," began the creature, in a frank and friendly tone. "Knowing no better, I used my arms as well as my legs for walking, and crawled under the edges of stones or hid among the roots of grasses with no thought beyond finding a few insects smaller than myself to feed upon.
"The chill nights rendered me stiff and motionless, for I wore no clothing, but each morning the warm rays of the sun gave me new life and restored me to activity. A horrible existence is this, but you must remember it is the regular ordained existence of Woggle-Bugs, as well as of many other tiny creatures that inhabit the earth.
"But Destiny had singled me out, humble though I was, for a grander fate! One day I crawled near to a country school house, and my curiosity being excited by the monotonous hum of the students within, I made bold to enter and creep along a crack between two boards until I reached the far end, where, in front of a hearth of glowing embers, sat the master at his desk.
"No one noticed so small a creature as a Woggle-Bug, and when I found that the hearth was even warmer and more comfortable than the sunshine, I resolved to establish my future home beside it. So I found a charming nest between two bricks and hid myself therein for many, many months.
"Professor Nowitall is, doubtless, the most famous scholar in the land of Oz, and after a few days I began to listen to the lectures and discourses he gave his pupils. Not one of them was more attentive than the humble, unnoticed Woggle-Bug, and I acquired in this way a fund of knowledge that I will myself confess is simply marvelous. That is why I place 'T.E.' Thoroughly Educated upon my cards; for my greatest pride lies in the fact that the world cannot produce another Woggle-Bug with a tenth part of my own culture and erudition."
"I do not blame you," said the Scarecrow. "Education is a thing to be proud of. I'm educated myself. The degree given to me by the Great Wizard is considered a high honor by many."
"Nevertheless," interrupted the Tinman, "a good heart is, I believe, much more desirable than education or brains."
"To me," said the Saw-Horse, "a good leg is more desirable than either."
"Which I will get to repairing once the story is done." Liir told his younger son.
"Could seeds be considered in the light of brains?" enquired the Pumpkinhead, abruptly.
"Keep quiet!" commanded Tip, sternly.
"Very well, dear father," answered the obedient Jack.
The Woggle-Bug listened patiently—even respectfully—to these remarks, and then resumed his story.
"I must have lived fully three years in that secluded school-house hearth," said he, "drinking thirstily of the ever-flowing fount of limpid knowledge before me."
"Quite poetical," commented the Scarecrow, nodding his head approvingly.
"But one, day" continued the Bug, "a marvelous circumstance occurred that altered my very existence and brought me to my present pinnacle of greatness. The Professor discovered me in the act of crawling across the hearth, and before I could escape he had caught me between his thumb and forefinger.
"'My dear children,' said he, 'I have captured a Woggle-Bug—a very rare and interesting specimen. Do any of you know what a Woggle-Bug is?'
"'No!' yelled the scholars, in chorus.
"'Then,' said the Professor, 'I will get out my famous magnifying-glass and throw the insect upon a screen in a highly-magnified condition, that you may all study carefully its peculiar construction and become acquainted with its habits and manner of life.'
"He then brought from a cupboard a most curious instrument, and before I could realize what had happened I found myself thrown upon a screen in a highly-magnified state—even as you now behold me.
"The students stood up on their stools and craned their heads forward to get a better view of me, and two little girls jumped upon the sill of an open window where they could see more plainly.
"'Behold!' cried the Professor, in a loud voice, 'this highly-magnified Woggle-Bug; one of the most curious insects in existence!'
"Being Thoroughly Educated, and knowing what is required of a cultured gentleman, at this juncture I stood upright and, placing my hand upon my bosom, made a very polite bow. My action, being unexpected, must have startled them, for one of the little girls perched upon the window-sill gave a scream and fell backward out the window, drawing her companion with her as she disappeared.
"The Professor uttered a cry of horror and rushed away through the door to see if the poor children were injured by the fall. The scholars followed after him in a wild mob, and I was left alone in the school-room, still in a Highly-Magnified state and free to do as I pleased.
"It immediately occurred to me that this was a good opportunity to escape. I was proud of my great size, and realized that now I could safely travel anywhere in the world, while my superior culture would make me a fit associate for the most learned person I might chance to meet.
"So, while the Professor picked the little girls—who were more frightened than hurt—off the ground, and the pupils clustered around him closely grouped, I calmly walked out of the school-house, turned a corner, and escaped unnoticed to a grove of trees that stood near"
"Wonderful!" exclaimed the Pumpkinhead, admiringly.
"It was, indeed," agreed the Woggle-Bug. "I have never ceased to congratulate myself for escaping while I was Highly Magnified; for even my excessive knowledge would have proved of little use to me had I remained a tiny, insignificant insect."
"That Professor must have done some accidental magic," Liir mused, "for I've never heard of a projection or magnifier actually changing the size of it's subject."
"Neither have I." Fiyero and Boq said in unison.
"I didn't know before," said Tip, looking at the Woggle-Bug with a puzzled expression, "that insects wore clothes."
"Nor do they, in their natural state," returned the stranger. "But in the course of my wanderings I had the good fortune to save the ninth life of a tailor—tailors having, like cats, nine lives, as you probably know. The fellow was exceedingly grateful, for had he lost that ninth life it would have been the end of him; so he begged permission to furnish me with the stylish costume I now wear. It fits very nicely, does it not?" and the Woggle-Bug stood up and turned himself around slowly, that all might examine his person.
"He must have been a good tailor," said the Scarecrow, somewhat enviously.
"He was a good-hearted tailor, at any rate," observed Boq.
"But where were you going, when you met us?" Tip asked the Woggle-Bug.
"Nowhere in particular," was the reply, "although it is my intention soon to visit the Emerald City and arrange to give a course of lectures to select audiences on the 'Advantages of Magnification.'"
"We are bound for the Emerald City now," said the Tinman; "the land has been stolen from Their Majesties, The Scarecrow and Glinda the Good. So, if it pleases you to do so, you are welcome to travel in our company and help us retake the city."
The Woggle-Bug bowed with profound grace. "It will give me great pleasure," said he "to accept your kind invitation; for nowhere in the Land of Oz could I hope to meet with so congenial a company."
"That is true," acknowledged the Pumpkinhead. "We are quite as congenial as flies and honey."
"But—pardon me if I seem inquisitive—are you not all rather—ahem! rather unusual?" asked the Woggle-Bug, looking from one to another with unconcealed interest.
"Not more so than yourself," answered the Scarecrow. "Everything in life is unusual until you get accustomed to it."
"What rare philosophy!" exclaimed the Woggle-Bug, admiringly.
"Yes; my brains are working well today," admitted the Scarecrow, an accent of pride in his voice.
"Then, if you are sufficiently rested and refreshed, let us bend our steps toward the Emerald City!" suggested the magnified one.
"There is one thing we need to do first." said Liir, "The Saw-Horse, Yero Tigelaar-Thropp, has broken a leg, so he can't bend his steps. I was going to replace it with metal."
"Oh, go ahead." The Bug said.
Liir nodded and went back to his spell book, making sure the Bug didn't see what it really was. Then, the young sorcerer recited the spell, and a metal limb appeared out of thin air.
"Oh my!" The Bug gasped.
"You truly are your mother's child." Boq praised.
"Of course." Fiyero added, "He's one of the best sorcerers I know."
Liir beamed. Then he set to work attaching the leg to Yero.
"How does it feel?" Liir asked his younger son.
Yero moved around a bit, testing out his new limb. "It feels fine Papa. I'm sure I won't have anymore trouble."
Liir smiled. "I'm glad. Now we can continue our journey."
The others cheered, and soon Jack was perched upon his brother.
Then, following the lead of the Scarecrow, they all advanced in the direction of the Emerald City.