[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

but hesitated so long that the cat was gone.
"Do you want to know what I think?" she whispered
to Bucky. "I think those cat-tails are people under en-
chantment-put there by some wicked witch-That's
what I think!"
The river flowed along, straight and self-satisfied.
Bucky was thinking hard.
"Do you believe this witch stuff?" he asked the
Flummux.
"Why shouldn't I believe it? Why shouldn't you
believe it? Weren't we shut up in door-knobs?"
Bucky scratched his head: "There is something in
what you say. And I'm not so sure you are a Flummux
either," he said.
"I hope you are right," replied the little Gabooch as
she vigorously polished her brass nozzle with a cos-
metic made from brass polish that she had found in the
cabin.
With elaborate care, she also polished her brothers'
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
nozzles until they sparkled.
"Perk up, boys," she said. "I want you to look your
best in case we meet some important people. It isn't
every girl who has such handsome brothers as you
are!" The Flummux twittered cheerfully as she
hopped back into the cabin to replace the brass-
cosmetic.
The whale quivered along blissfully. "What good
fortune I have with so much to see-such a Lucky
pilot-such a loyal crew. Was ever a big, homely
whale so favored with finer friends-"
"Now, my great big cousin,-" began Bucky giving
a friendly pat to Davy's blunt nose, "just suppose we
were caught in this river and transformed into cat-
tails. What then? I'm not used to magic or enchant-
ments."
The whale was quick to respond: "As I told you be-
fore, don't worry about such things. Queen Ozma and
the Wizard attend to all such problems when it be-
comes necessary."
"That may be all very true but I will feel safer
when we are out of this river."
The whale whipped up speed, then put on all the
brakes suddenly, and he was none too soon. For this
river, like the other, had stopped abruptly.
Looking ahead they saw a patch of lawn with a
high stone wall beyond. Hanging there was another
sign marked:
GLAD TO SEE YOU GO
"I'm glad, too," said Bucky, "if we haven't come to
another standstill."
Impatiently springing ashore to examine the wall,
he found a wide iron gate and opened it. Stepping
through, he looked about cautiously when he heard
the sound of excited voices. He was relieved to see
another river not far away.
Beckoning Davy to follow, he turned toward a rest-
less gathering of people standing beside another large
sign. The lettering on this one was quite different.
Only Real River in a 100 miles
Everybody Welcome
Prize Winners
Champions
Lucky Shots
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
King Pins
Especially Welcome
Ability Skill and Chance
Sports Games and Amusements
WELCOME TO ALL
"Can you beat that?" exclaimed Davy in surprise,
sticking his head through the gate.
An eager little man with a most hospitable manner
came up to meet them and explain the situation. He
drew a mark across the sand at the river shore.
"You'll have to beat every game if you expect to
pass," he told them. "Start from scratch," he directed,
indicating the mark.
"You certainly are a gay community," remarked
the agreeable whale as he lumbered up to scratch.
From there he could see that many games were in
progress.
"And-might I add-quite a sociable one."
As Davy and his crew went down toward the river,
a team of over-sized grasshoppers met them. They
were dressed in gaudy Scotch kilts with long ribbons
fluttering from their caps.
Some of them were taller than Bucky and he hesi-
tated when they crowded around him. But their
gracious manners put him at ease.
"Would you care to play a game of hop-scotch? The
fun is just beginning!"
Bucky soon found that he was no match for the
hop-scotchers, but Tom, Dick and Harry entered the
competition eagerly. They won. The party then passed
on down the river where, on both banks and in the
stream itself, every known game was being played.
Right and left, they were challenged by enormous
frogs to a game of leap-frog. The Flummux was bash-
ful at first but her brothers coaxed her to try and she
did. And, what's more, she won.
With each winning, they were allowed to proceed.
In this manner, they won their way, little by little,
down the river.
A cricket team of tall green crickets challenged
them to come up the creek and play, but this they
were forced to decline because they did not have
enough players to make up an opposing team.
A stray deck of playing cards climbed aboard Davy's
deck, pleading with him to try a game of solitaire.
"Really I'm not a game-fish," explained the whale,
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
"But I'll try my luck
He almost won, but-didn't----
"Sorry, old blubber," said the cards, gathering
themselves together, "You're game anyhow!"
At the second try, he did win and they all moved
up a peg. Before they left, the cards gave an exhibi-
tion of fancy shuffling that was astonishing.
There were plenty of side-shows. It was just like a
county fair. Courts for tennis and pools for water
sports dotted the course. Grandstands stood in the
background and boardwalks wandered from place to
place wherever large crowds needed them, or when
a champion was playing.
So much was going on that Bucky concluded they
never would get to the Emerald City if they had to
play every game. The Gabooches were having the time
of their lives, winning one contest after another. In
quick games of chance, Bucky always came out ahead,
being so Lucky. Davy, by far the best swiminer, beat
all the champions in the water sports.
They noticed that the games were more difficult
and the players more expert, as they advanced, and
they tried to avoid these experts wherever possible.
A team of Crows who were champion crow-kay
players insisted the strangers should kindly stop and
be beaten.
As there was no way to avoid this challenge without
being rude, Bucky spent a whole half-hour playing
crow-kay with white crows. He won by the small mar-
gin of one stroke.
Davy's fine feats at swimming were greeted with
cheers from all sides. At every turn, bids, dares and
challenges were called: "Win or. lose! Try your luck!
Winner takes all!" until Davy's head ached from the
friendly racket. Patiently he sloshed along, trying to
avoid the delays of so much merrymaking. To every
bid to play, he turned a deaf ear. At last they had
passed through the River of the lively gameland.
CHAPTER 14
Tea and Thunderbugs
THE way ahead looked clear. But just as they
reached a turn in the river, out of nowhere came
the word: "Check!" spoken like a sharp challenge.
"Go on! Go on! Don't pay any attention to him!"
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
said Bucky. Davy increased speed in an effort to get
out of sight around the bend. It wasn't long before
the order was repeated, this time more emphatically:
"Check! Check! DoubleCheck!"
They were forced to stop. A large checker-board
spread itself entirely across the river and strutting
Over the board came a fat, pompous teapot. He began
to set the black and red checkers in the proper squares,
and not until he had them placed did he turn to the
angry whale.
Then turning around he laughed through his spout:
"Back up and slow down," he ordered. "Or do you
wish to back down and give up? If so, you are prison-
ers of King Jack Pott."
"Never!!" cried Bucky and Davy in a combined
breath.
"Never!!" repeated the Gabooches, one after the
other.
With one spring Bucky leaped onto the checker-
board.
"We are ready!" he announced. "Now, make your
first move. Here is mine!" and he shoved one huge
black checker from the square where it rested to the
next one.
The game was started. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]