Show r L. L Frank Baum k r The Battle With the Gargoyles U them and and B Bt But t TI Jim was ready for tor when wen h he e saw saw them coming he turned 1 his Is heels toward them and beg began n kickIng kick kick- Crack rig Ing out as hard as he could shod iron-shod hoofs Ws his crash rash bank went ii against aI st the wooden bodies of th the Garg oar Gar a battered right g les and they were sand and l left tt with such force that they scattered like straws in the the- wind Butth But dreadful dreadful dread dread- seemed emed as noise olse and clatter th the ls for fol all who ful to them as Tim's Tims he heels iere and fI flew V away e ere able swiftly t turned 1 distance The others picked t to a great reat themselves themselVes elves up from the ground one by byon rejoined their felion tel fel- and quickly on one 4 moment the horse norse ion lOws so n for a a. fight Ight with withe the thought h had won e elut t tile the Wizard WiEard was n not t s so conn- conn d nt things are impossible Those wooden now a he said and all aU the he sible to to io hurt hurt damage Jim has has- done to them is toIk tol to few splinters from their noses Ik l knock OCla a and hd ears That cannot make them look lIer Im I'm sure and it is my ray ans any n u uglier uller opinion th they y will soon oon renew the theY at- at tack tacit What made them fl fly away away asked D Joth 4 The noise of course Don Dont t y you ou reS remember re- re S member how th the Champion escaped x them by shouting his battle Cry cry S we down die tle stairs i we escape haveS have t too o suggested the boy We e rather lather face just now and Id I'd S Is ble ble s bears than those wooden It J ili v returned Dorothy DothY stoutly It mt o to go gd back for then we Ye would er r r get home Lets Let's fight it out w t is what I advise said the r. They The haven't defeated u us fir J Jim is worth a 30 whole l army B b the Gargoyles Gargoyles' were clever j pot potto to attack the horse the next TEne They advanced in hi a a a. great many swaim swarm having been joined by fl flew W more of their thell kind and they Straight over o Jims Jim's s head to where where- the tac were were standing The rhe Wizard raised one of his re revolvers re- re I and amI fired into the throng Of f his enemies and the shot resounded UI like e a cl clap p of of thunder in that that silent place S Some of the wooden beings fell flat Hat upon upon pon the ground where they quivered and trembled ii m in every limb but most ot th them m. m managed to 19 wheel and arLd escape gaIn again to a dl distance tance S Z ran and picked Up p one one of the G rg that tha was nearest n-earest to him The The The- top or its head was carved in into to a crown rown and the Wizards Wizard's s bullet had hild struck k it exactly in the left eye ere which w was s a hard wooden knot Half of the bullet bullet stuck in the wood and half stuck S out out so so it had been the jar and the sudden noise nole that had knocked ed the creature down more nore than the fact that it was really hurt Before Belore this crowned S G G Gargoyle le had r recovered covered himself lf Zeb S had bad wound a a. strap several times around its body confining its wings and arms anns armsto to so tha it it could not move Then having hav ing ti tied d the wooden creature securely the bo boy buckled the strap and tossed his prisoner Into the buggy By that time the others had all ll retired S For a a. while the enemy hesitated to lenew renew the attack Then a few of them advanced until another shot from the I Wizards Wizard's revolver re made them retreat That's fine said Zeb Weve got gotem em em on the run now sure enough But on only I- I Ifor for a time replied the Wizard shaking his head gloomily six shots These revolvers are good for each but when those are gone we shall b be helpless Sc 5 The Gargoyles seemed to realize this for they sent a few of ot their band time at after r time to attack the strangers and andS S draw the fire from the little mans man's r re revolvers re- re In this Wa way none of them was shocked by the dreadful l report repot more than once for the main band kept far r away and each eadi a new company was sent into the battle When the Wizard had tired fired aU all of ot his twelve bullets he had caused no damage damage dam dam- 5 age age to the enemy except to stun a few by the noise and so he was no nearer S to victory than tb-an In the beginning of the theS S fray tray S What shall shan we do nOw noW asked D DOrth DOrothy DOr- DOr r- r othy th anxiously anxious S S. S Lets yell yell all all together said ZebAnd Zeb And fight at the same time near JIm so sp that he can and each one must take tak added the Wizard We will get ket some weapon and do cIo th the S best we can Ill I'll use my sword al although although al- al though it isn't much account in this I aI-I S affair Dorothy must mut take her parasol and open it sud suddenly enlY when the wooden folks attack her I haven't anything for tor you Zeb Ill lil use the king said the boy and pulled his prisoner out of the buggy The bound Gargoyles Gargoyle's arms anns extended S far tar out beyond his head so by graspIng grasping grasp- grasp 11 ing Its wrists Zeb found the king made madea a R very very- ery good club The Th boy was strong for one of ot his j years rears ears having always I I I S worked upon a farm tarm so he was likely i ito to prove more danger dangerous S to the tha enemy than the Wizard When the next company company compan of Garg advanced J d our adventurers began yell ing lug as s if it they had gone mad Ev Even Ien en the kitten itt n. n gave a dreadfully shrill scream and at the same time Jim the cab cabS S horse neighed loudly This ThIs' daunted 5 the enemy for a time but the defenders defend defend- I 5 ers were ere soon out of breath Perceiving Perceiving Per Per- cel ng this as well wen as the fact tact that there were were no more of ot the awful bangs to come from the revolvers the Gargoyles advanced in a a. swann swam as thick as bees so that the was filled a with them I Dorothy squatted upon the ground I f f. f and put vf up her parasol which nearly covered her and proved a great protection tion The Tile Wizards Wizard's sword blade snapped into a dozen pieces at th this the first 5 he he- struck against the wooden peo peo- p pie e. e Zeb pounded away with the Gargoyle Gar- Gar 5 goyle KOyle he was using as a a. club until he had knocked down a dozen of foes but at last clustered so about him r that he no longer had room In which t to swing his ar arms arms is The horse performed per per- formed some wonderful kicking and even Eureka assisted when she leaped bodily upon the Gargoyles and scratched and bit at them like a a. wild wild- cat S But all aU this bravery amounted to nothing at all The wooden things w their long arms around z Zeb b and the Wizard and held th them m fast Doro- Doro i DOO-i S w i TJ BK i Vi S S SS Sp l S p S S 4 S S S S kr 5 r try was captured in m the same way and numbers of ot the Gargoyles clung to Jims Jim's legs so weighing him down that th the poor beast was helpless Eureka made a desperate dash to escape and scampered along the ground like a a. streak but a grinning Gargoyle flew after her and grabbed h her r before she had gone Y very ry farAll far All AIl of them expected nothing less than instant death but but butto to their surprise surprise sur sur- prise the wooden creatures flew Into the a ajr r with them and bore them far tar faraway faraway away over miles and miles of wooden country until they came to a a. wooden city The The houses of of- f this city ha lia many corners being square and six six- sided They were tower-like tower In shape and the me best of them seemed old oid and worn weather-worn yet all were strong strong and and substantial To one of or these houses which had neither doors nor windows but only one broad opening far tar up underneath the roof the pris prisoners Aers were brought b by their thell captors The Gargoyles s roughly rough TO ly pushed them into the op opening ning where there was a platform and then flew away way and left lett them them- themAs As s they had no wings the strangers could t not flyaway fly flyaway flyaway away and If they jumped dorm from such a height they would surely be killed The creatures had sense enough to o reason that way only I mistake they hey made was in in suPt supposing o ng the earth arth people were unable to 10 overcome overcome over over- come such ordinary difficulties Jim was bro brought with the tle others al although although at- at though it took a good many nany Gargoyles to carry the e big beast through the air and land him on the high platform and the buggy was thrust in after him because It belonged to the party and the wooden folks had no idea what It was was used for tor or whether It was alive or not When Eureka's captor had thrown the kitten after the others the thelast thelast thelast last Gargoyle silently disappeared leaving our friends to tu breathe fre freely lr once more I What an awful fight said Dorathy Dorothy Doro Dora Dorothy thy catching her breath in little gasps Oh I I t know purred Eureka smoothing her f fur lr with Her paw We didn't manage manage to to hurt anybody anybody anybody any any- body and nobody managed to to hurt us v ar together Thank we are again even if it we are pris prisoners n rs sighed the little girl I I wonder why they diant t kill kilt us on the spot remarked Z Zep who had a lost his bis li in king the struggle They are probably le keeping us for tor or orsome some ceremony the Wizard Iz rd answered reflectively but Ith there e is Is' Is no rio doubt doub they intend to kill us as as as' dead as possible possible pos Poe I in hi sible a a. short time Ume As dead as i blo poss wo would would would-be d be pretty pretty pretty pret pret- ty dead wouldn't wouldn t it if Yes my deal dear n But t we we have no need to worry about th that tjust just t now noW Let US US' examine e our Prison nd se see what hat It it is like I 1 SS The space underneath the he roof root where they sto stood d them permitted permitted them to see se-e on all sides tall taIl building and they looked with much curiosity at the city spread out beneath them Everything Everything Every Every- Everything thing visible was vas vas' made made- of ot wood woodY and the scene seemed seem stiff stift and v extremely unnatural their platform platform- a a. a stair descended descended de de- into the house and the children children chil chil- dren and the Wizard explored explore l it after aft lighting a lant lantern rn to show them the way Several stori stories s or empty rooms rewarded their search bu but nothing more so after a time they came came back to to- the platform again Had there been any doors or windows windo in the lower rooms or had not the boards of the house been so thick and stout escape would have been easy easy but to re remain down below was like being in a cellar or the hold of a ship and bd they did not like the darkness In this country as in all others they had visited underneath the e earths earth's rth's surface surface surface sur sur- face there was no no night a a a- constant and strong light coming from some soine unknown un un- known source Looking out they could see into some of the houses near them where there were open windows in inI abundance and were able to mar mark marl the I forms of ot the wooden Gargoyles moving about in their their- dwellings This seems to be their time of rest rest observed elVed the Wizard All II people need rest even eyen If ft f th they y are made of wood an and as there is rip po o night here her they se select select select se- se lect a certain time tinie of ot the day In it which to sleep or doze I I I feel sleepy myself remarked remarked- Zeb yawning Why wheres where's Eureka cri cried S d Doro- Doro try suddenly They all looked around but the tIle kitten kitten kitten kit kit- ten was rio no place to be seen seen Editors Editor's Note There Note There was great distress distress distress dis dis- dis- dis tress when Eureka's absence was discovered discovered dis dis- covered covered- for of course Dorothy and the others couldn't bear the thought of losing losing los los- ing Ipg the cat in the the awful Gargoyle country But next week you youK shall hear where Eureka really was she wasn't lost at t all you see and of or A Wonderful Wonder Wonder- ful Escape Copyright by bYL L L. Frank Baum f for r the George Matthew Adams Service |