The Magic of Oz

No one can blame you," said the Wizard, "and I think, instead of

turning back, I can make a path that will allow us to proceed."

He opened his black bag and after searching among his magic tools

drew out a small axe, made of some metal so highly polished that it

glittered brightly even in the dark forest. The Wizard laid the little axe on

the ground and said in a commanding voice:

Chop, Little Axe, chop clean and true; A path for our feet you must

quickly hew. Chop till this tangle of jungle is passed; Chop to the east,

Little Axe--chop fast!"

Then the little axe began to move and flashed its bright blade right

and left, clearing a way through vine and brush and scattering the tangled

barrier so quickly that the Lion and the Tiger, carrying Dorothy and the

Wizard and the cage of monkeys on their backs, were able to stride

through the forest at a fast walk. The brush seemed to melt away before

them and the little axe chopped so fast that their eyes only saw a twinkling

of the blade. Then, suddenly, the forest was open again, and the little axe,

having obeyed its orders, lay still upon the ground.

The Wizard picked up the magic axe and after carefully wiping it with

his silk handkerchief put it away in his black bag. Then they went on and

in a short time reached the river.

Let me see," said the Glass Cat, looking up and down the stream, "I

think we are below the Magic Isle; so we must go up the stream until we

come to it."

So up the stream they traveled, walking comfortably on the river bank,

and after a while the water broadened and a sharp bend appeared in the

river, hiding all below from their view. They walked briskly along,

however, and had nearly reached the bend when a voice cried warningly:

Look out!"

The travelers halted abruptly and the Wizard said: "Look out for

what?"

You almost stepped on my Diamond Palace," replied the voice, and a

duck with gorgeously colored feathers appeared before them. "Beasts and

men are terribly clumsy," continued the Duck in an irritated tone, "and