Zeb hitched Jim to the buggy again, and the horse trotted along and drew them rapidly over the smooth water. The kitten was at first dreadfully afraid of getting wet, but Dorothy let her down and soon Eureka was frisking along beside the buggy without being scared a bit. Once a little fish swam too near the surface, and the kitten grabbed it in her mouth and ate it up as quick as a wink; but Dorothy cautioned her to be careful what she ate in this valley of enchantments, and no more fishes were careless enough to swim within reach.
After a journey of several hours they came to a point where the river curved, and they found they must cross a mile or so of the Valley before they came to the Pyramid Mountain. There were few houses in this part, and few orchards or flowers; so our friends feared they might encounter more of the savage bears, which they had learned to dread with all their hearts.
'You'll have to make a dash, Jim,' said the Wizard, 'and run as fast as you can go.'
'All right,' answered the horse; 'I'll do my best. But you must remember I'm old, and my dashing days are past and gone.'
All three got into the buggy and Zeb picked up the reins, though Jim needed no guidance of any sort. The horse was still smarting from the sharp claws of the invisible bears, and as soon as he was on land and headed toward the mountain the thought that more of those fearsome creatures might be near acted as a spur and sent him galloping along in a way that made Dorothy catch her breath.
Then Zeb, in a spirit of mischief, uttered a growl like that of the bears, and Jim pricked up his ears and fairly flew. His boney legs moved so fast they could scarcely be seen, and the Wizard clung fast to the seat and yelled 'Whoa!' at the top of his voice.
'I—I'm 'fraid he's—he's running away!' gasped Dorothy.
'I KNOW he is,' said Zeb; 'but no bear can catch him if he keeps up that gait—and the harness or the buggy don't break.'
Jim did not make a mile a minute; but almost before they were aware of it he drew up at the foot of the mountain, so suddenly that the Wizard and Zeb both sailed over the dashboard and landed in the soft grass—where they rolled over several times before they stopped. Dorothy nearly went with them, but she was holding fast to the iron rail of the seat, and that saved her. She squeezed the kitten, though, until it screeched; and then the old cab- horse made several curious sounds that led the little girl to suspect he was laughing at them all.
10. The Braided Man of Pyramid Mountain
The mountain before them was shaped like a cone and was so tall that its point was lost in the clouds. Directly facing the place where Jim had stopped was an arched opening leading to a broad stairway. The stairs were cut in the rock inside the mountain, and they were broad and not very steep, because they circled around like a cork-screw, and at the arched opening where the flight began the circle was quite big. At the foot of the stairs was a sign reading:
WARNING.
These steps lead to the Land of the Gargoyles.
DANGER! KEEP OUT.
'I wonder how Jim is ever going to draw the buggy up so many stairs,' said Dorothy, gravely.
'No trouble at all,' declared the horse, with a contemptuous neigh. 'Still, I don't care to drag any passengers. You'll all have to walk.'
'Suppose the stairs get steeper?' suggested Zeb, doubtfully.
'Then you'll have to boost the buggy-wheels, that's all,' answered Jim.
'We'll try it, anyway,' said the Wizard. 'It's the only way to get out of the Valley of Voe.'
So they began to ascend the stairs, Dorothy and the Wizard first, Jim next, drawing the buggy, and then Zeb to watch that nothing happened to the harness.
The light was dim, and soon they mounted into total darkness, so that the Wizard was obliged to get out his lanterns to light the way. But this enabled them to proceed steadily until they came to a landing where there was a rift in the side of the mountain that let in both light and air. Looking through this opening they could see the Valley of Voe lying far below them, the cottages seeming like toy houses from that distance.
After resting a few moments they resumed their climb, and still the stairs were broad and low enough for Jim to draw the buggy easily after him. The old horse panted a little, and had to stop often to get his breath. At such times they were all glad to wait for him, for continually climbing up stairs is sure to make one's legs ache.
They wound about, always going upward, for some time. The lights from the lanterns dimly showed the way, but it was a gloomy journey, and they were pleased when a broad streak of light ahead assured them they were coming to a second landing.
Here one side of the mountain had a great hole in it, like the mouth of a cavern, and the stairs stopped at the near edge of the floor and commenced ascending again at the opposite edge.
The opening in the mountain was on the side opposite to the Valley of Voe, and our travellers looked out upon a strange scene. Below them was a vast space, at the bottom of which was a black sea with rolling billows, through which little tongues of flame constantly shot up. Just above them, and almost on a level with their platform, were banks of rolling clouds which constantly shifted position and changed color. The blues and greys were very beautiful, and Dorothy noticed that on the cloud banks sat or reclined fleecy, shadowy forms of beautiful beings who must have been the Cloud Fairies. Mortals who stand upon the earth and look up at the sky cannot often distinguish these forms, but our friends were now so near to the clouds that they observed the dainty fairies very clearly.
'Are they real?' asked Zeb, in an awed voice.
'Of course,' replied Dorothy, softly. 'They are the Cloud Fairies.'
'They seem like open-work,' remarked the boy, gazing intently. 'If I should squeeze one, there wouldn't be anything left of it.'
In the open space between the clouds and the black, bubbling sea far beneath, could be seen an occasional strange bird winging its way swiftly through the air. These birds were of enormous size, and reminded Zeb of the rocs he had read about in the Arabian Nights. They had fierce eyes and sharp talons and beaks, and the children hoped none of them would venture into the cavern.
'Well, I declare!' suddenly exclaimed the little Wizard. 'What in the world is this?'
They turned around and found a man standing on the floor in the center of the cave, who bowed very politely when he saw he had attracted their attention. He was a very old man, bent nearly double; but the queerest thing about him was his white hair and beard. These were so long that they reached to his feet, and both the hair and the beard were carefully plaited into many braids, and the end of each braid fastened with a bow of colored ribbon.
'Where did you come from?' asked Dorothy, wonderingly.
'No place at all,' answered the man with the braids; 'that is, not recently. Once I lived on top the earth, but for many years I have had my factory in this spot—half way up Pyramid Mountain.'
'Are we only half way up?' enquired the boy, in a discouraged tone.
'I believe so, my lad,' replied the braided man. 'But as I have never been in either direction, down or up, since I arrived, I cannot be positive whether it is exactly half way or not.'
'Have you a factory in this place?' asked the Wizard, who had been examining the strange personage carefully.
'To be sure,' said the other. 'I am a great inventor, you must know, and I manufacture my products in this lonely spot.'
'What are your products?' enquired the Wizard.
'Well, I make Assorted Flutters for flags and bunting, and a superior grade of Rustles for ladies' silk gowns.'
'I thought so,' said the Wizard, with a sigh. 'May we examine some of these articles?'
'Yes, indeed; come into my shop, please,' and the braided man turned and led the way into a smaller cave, where he evidently lived. Here, on a broad shelf, were several card-board boxes of various sizes, each tied with cotton cord.
