Button-Bright saw an old gray owl sitting in the crotch of a tree, and he replied with a laugh: 'All right, old Fussy,' and stopped whistling until he had passed out of the owl's hearing. At noon he came to a farmhouse where an aged couple lived. They gave him a good dinner and treated him kindly, but the man was deaf and the woman was dumb, so they could answer no questions to guide him on the way to Pon's house. When he left them he was just as much lost as he had been before.
Every grove of trees he saw from a distance he visited, for he remembered that the King's castle was near a grove of trees and Pon's hut was near the King's castle; but always he met with disappointment. Finally, passing through one of these groves, he came out into the open and found himself face to face with the Ork.
'Hello!' said Button-Bright. 'Where did you come from?'
'From Orkland,' was the reply. 'I've found my own country, at last, and it is not far from here, either. I would have come back to you sooner, to see how you are getting along, had not my family and friends welcomed my return so royally that a great celebration was held in my honor. So I couldn't very well leave Orkland again until the excitement was over.'
'Can you find your way back home again?' asked the boy.
'Yes, easily; for now I know exactly where it is. But where are Trot and Cap'n Bill?'
Button-Bright related to the Ork their adventures since it had left them in Jinxland, telling of Trot's fear that the King had done something wicked to Cap'n Bill, and of Pon's love for Gloria, and how Trot and Button-Bright had been turned out of the King's castle. That was all the news that the boy had, but it made the Ork anxious for the safety of his friends.
'We must go to them at once, for they may need us,' he said.
'I don't know where to go,' confessed Button-Bright. 'I'm lost.'
'Well, I can take you back to the hut of the gardener's boy,' promised the Ork, 'for when I fly high in the air I can look down and easily spy the King's castle. That was how I happened to spy you, just entering the grove; so I flew down and waited until you came out.'
'How can you carry me?' asked the boy.
'You'll have to sit straddle my shoulders and put your arms around my neck. Do you think you can keep from falling off?'
'I'll try,' said Button-Bright. So the Ork squatted down and the boy took his seat and held on tight. Then the skinny creature's tail began whirling and up they went, far above all the tree-tops.
After the Ork had circled around once or twice, its sharp eyes located the towers of the castle and away it flew, straight toward the place. As it hovered in the air, near by the castle, Button-Bright pointed out Pon's hut, so they landed just before it and Trot came running out to greet them.
Gloria was introduced to the Ork, who was surprised to find Cap'n Bill transformed into a grasshopper.
'How do you like it?' asked the creature.
'Why, it worries me good deal,' answered Cap'n Bill, perched upon Trot's shoulder. 'I'm always afraid o' bein' stepped on, and I don't like the flavor of grass an' can't seem to get used to it. It's my nature to eat grass, you know, but I begin to suspect it's an acquired taste.'
'Can you give molasses?' asked the Ork.
'I guess I'm not that kind of a grasshopper,' replied Cap'n Bill. 'But I can't say what I might do if I was squeezed—which I hope I won't be.'
'Well,' said the Ork, 'it's a great pity, and I'd like to meet that cruel King and his Wicked Witch and punish them both severely. You're awfully small, Cap'n Bill, but I think I would recognize you anywhere by your wooden leg.'
Then the Ork and Button-Bright were told all about Gloria's frozen heart and how the Scarecrow had come from the Land of Oz to help them. The Ork seemed rather disturbed when it learned that the Scarecrow had gone alone to conquer King Krewl.
'I'm afraid he'll make a fizzle of it,' said the skinny creature, 'and there's no telling what that terrible King might do to the poor Scarecrow, who seems like a very interesting person. So I believe I'll take a hand in this conquest myself.'
'How?' asked Trot.
'Wait and see,' was the reply. 'But, first of all, I must fly home again—back to my own country—so if you'll forgive my leaving you so soon, I'll be off at once. Stand away from my tail, please, so that the wind from it, when it revolves, won't knock you over.'
They gave the creature plenty of room and away it went like a flash and soon disappeared in the sky.
'I wonder,' said Button-Bright, looking solemnly after the Ork, 'whether he'll ever come back again.'
'Of course he will!' returned Trot. 'The Ork's a pretty good fellow, and we can depend on him. An' mark my words, Button-Bright, whenever our Ork does come back, there's one cruel King in Jinxland that'll wish he hadn't.'
Chapter Eighteen
The Scarecrow Meets an Enemy
The Scarecrow was not a bit afraid of King Krewl. Indeed, he rather enjoyed the prospect of conquering the evil King and putting Gloria on the throne of Jinxland in his place. So he advanced boldly to the royal castle and demanded admittance.
Seeing that he was a stranger, the soldiers allowed him to enter. He made his way straight to the throne room, where at that time his Majesty was settling the disputes among his subjects.
'Who are you?' demanded the King.
'I'm the Scarecrow of Oz, and I command you to surrender yourself my prisoner.'
'Why should I do that?' inquired the King, much astonished at the straw man's audacity.
'Because I've decided you are too cruel a King to rule so beautiful a country. You must remember that Jinxland is a part of Oz, and therefore you owe allegiance to Ozma of Oz, whose friend and servant I am.'
Now, when he heard this, King Krewl was much disturbed in mind, for he knew the Scarecrow spoke the truth. But no one had ever before come to Jinxland from the Land of Oz and the King did not intend to be put out of his throne if he could help it. Therefore he gave a harsh, wicked laugh of derision and said:
'I'm busy, now. Stand out of my way, Scarecrow, and I'll talk with you by and by.'
But the Scarecrow turned to the assembled courtiers and people and called in a loud voice:
'I hereby declare, in the name of Ozma of Oz, that this man is no longer ruler of Jinxland. From this moment Princess Gloria is your rightful Queen, and I ask all of you to be loyal to her and to obey her commands.'
The people looked fearfully at the King, whom they all hated in their hearts, but likewise feared. Krewl was now in a terrible rage and he raised his golden sceptre and struck the Scarecrow so heavy a blow that he fell to the floor.
But he was up again, in an instant, and with Pon's riding-whip he switched the King so hard that the wicked monarch roared with pain as much as with rage, calling on his soldiers to capture the Scarecrow.
They tried to do that, and thrust their lances and swords into the straw body, but without doing any damage except to make holes in the Scarecrow's clothes. However, they were many against one and finally old Googly-Goo brought a rope which he wound around the Scarecrow, binding his legs together and his arms to his sides, and after that the fight was over.
The King stormed and danced around in a dreadful fury, for he had never been so switched since he was a boy—and perhaps not then. He ordered the Scarecrow thrust into the castle prison, which was no task at all because one man could carry him easily, bound as he was.
Even after the prisoner was removed the King could not control his anger. He tried to figure out some way to be revenged upon the straw man, but could think of nothing that could hurt him. At last, when the terrified people and the frightened courtiers had all slunk away, old Googly-Goo approached the king with a malicious grin upon his face.
'I'll tell you what to do,' said he. 'Build a big bonfire and burn the Scarecrow up, and that will be the end of
