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making wheels out of short pieces of tree trunk, and adroitly fastening all the pieces together with wooden pins. When he finished, he looked down and saw a curious pullulation at his feet. The multitudinous army had arrived with their strings!

The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman now began attaching the mice to the truck. One end of each string was tied around the head of a mouse, and the other end was tied to the truck. Of course, the truck was a thousand times bigger than any of the Lilliputian soldiers who were to draw it, but when all the mice had been harnessed, they were able to pull it quite easily.

When the truck had been drawn alongside the sleeping Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman tried to push the beast aboard. This took a prodigious effort because the Lion was so ponderous. The moment they finally accomplished the Herculean task, the Queen ordered her people to start pulling the truck, for she knew that if the mice tarried, they, too, would be overcome by the poppies’ deadly miasma.

Here is where the Queen proved her mettle as a monarch. Knowing her troops would perish if they didn’t give their all, and knowing that even a single goldbricker could scuttle the mission, she became a martinet, threatening draconian punishments for all who didn’t perform.

The truck started to move, and the Queen, unwilling to brook any sign of sloth, meticulously watched over the proceedings. Any mouse without fervor in his eyes she hectored mercilessly. Malingerers were yanked to their feet by their ears. With the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman pushing the truck from behind, they soon rolled it out of the deadly flowers and onto the sweet, green grass.

The mice were unharnessed, and they all ran off to their homes. The Queen was the last to remain. The Tin Woodman sincerely thanked her for saving their companion, while the Scarecrow enthusiastically praised her leadership skills. Not one to rest on her laurels, she said, “If you ever need our help again, just call and we shall come to your assistance. Good-bye.” Then she was gone. Now the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, recumbent on the cool grass, waited for Dorothy and the Lion to awaken.

Chapter 10 “The Guardian of the Gates”

When Dorothy and the Lion finally woke up, they felt refreshed and were very glad to find themselves still alive and safe from the floral effluvium. The Scarecrow told them how the mice had saved the Lion’s life, and the large beast inwardly marveled that such small things as flowers could almost kill him and such tiny animals as mice could save him.

They started walking upstream again, greatly enjoying the salubrious effects of the clean, fresh air. Soon they reached the yellow brick road that led to the Emerald City. As they walked they noticed that on this side of the river the road was smooth and well paved, and the surrounding countryside was especially beautiful. Once more they could see

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