"This," said the Gump, in a squeaky voice not at all proportioned to thesize of its great body, "is the most novel experience I ever heard of. Thelast thing I remember distinctly is walking through the forest and hearing aloud noise. Something probably killed me then, and it certainly ought tohave been the end of me. Yet here I am, alive again, with four monstrouswings and a body which I venture to say would make any respectable animal orfowl weep with shame to own. What does it all mean? Am I a Gump, or am I ajuggernaut?" The creature, as it spoke, wiggled its chin whiskers in a verycomical manner.

"You're just a Thing," answered Tip, "with a Gump's head on it. And we havemade you and brought you to life so that you may carry us through the airwherever we wish to go."

"Very good!" said the Thing. "As I am not a Gump, I cannot have a Gump'spride or independent spirit. So I may as well become your servant asanything else. My only satisfaction is that I do not seem to have a verystrong constitution, and am not likely to live long in a state of slavery."

"Don't say that, I beg of you!" cried the Tin Woodman, whose excellent heartwas strongly affected by this sad speech." Are you not feeling well today?"

"Oh, as for that," returned the Gump, "it is my first day of existence; so Icannot Judge whether I am feeling well or ill." And it waved its broom tailto and fro in a pensive manner.

"Come, come!" said the Scarecrow, kindly. "do try, to be more cheerful andtake life as you find it. We shall be kind masters, and will strive torender your existence as pleasant as possible. Are you willing to carry usthrough the air wherever we wish to go?"

"Certainly," answered the Gump. "I greatly prefer to navigate the air. Forshould I travel on the earth and meet with one of my own species, myembarrassment would be something awful!"

"I can appreciate that," said the Tin Woodman, sympathetically.

"And yet," continued the Thing, "when I carefullylook you over, my masters, none of you seems to be constructed much moreartistically than I am."

"Appearances are deceitful," said the Woggle-Bug, earnestly. "I am bothHighly Magnified and Thoroughly Educated."

"Indeed!" murmured the Gump, indifferently.

"And my brains are considered remarkably rare specimens," added theScarecrow, proudly.

"How strange!" remarked the Gump.

"Although I am of tin," said the Woodman, "I own a heart altogether thewarmest and most admirable in the whole world."

"I'm delighted to hear it," replied the Gump, with a slight cough.

"My smile," said Jack Pumpkinhead, "is worthy your best attention. It isalways the same."

"Semper idem," explained the Woggle-Bug, pompously; and the Gump turned tostare at him.

"And I," declared the Saw-Horse, filling in an awkward pause, "am onlyremarkable because I can't help it."

"I am proud, indeed, to meet with such exceptional masters," said the Gump,in a careless tone. "If I could but secure so complete an introduction tomyself, I would be more than satisfied."

"That will come in time," remarked the Scarecrow. "To 'Know Thyself' is considered quite an accomplishment, which it hastaken us, who are your elders, months to perfect. But now," he added,turning to the others, "let us get aboard and start upon our journey."

"Where shall we go?" asked Tip, as he clambered to a seat on the sofas andassisted the Pumpkinhead to follow him.

"In the South Country rules a very delightful Queen called Glinda the Good,who I am sure will gladly receive us," said the Scarecrow, getting into theThing clumsily. "Let us go to her and ask her advice."

"That is cleverly thought of," declared Nick Chopper, giving the Woggle-Buga boost and then toppling the Saw-Horse into the rear end of the cushionedseats." I know Glinda the Good, and believe she will prove a friend indeed."

"Are we all ready?" asked the boy.

"Yes," announced the Tin Woodman, seating himself beside the Scarecrow.

"Then," said Tip, addressing the Gump, "be kind enough to fly with us to theSouthward; and do not go higher than to escape the houses and trees, for itmakes me dizzy to be up so far."

"All right," answered the Gump, briefly.

It flopped its four huge wings and rose slowly into the air; and then, whileour little band of adventurers clung to the backs and sides of the sofas forsupport, the Gump turned toward the South and soared swiftly andmajestically away.

"The scenic effect, from this altitude, is marvelous," commented theeducated Woggle-Bug, as they rode along.

"Never mind the scenery," said the Scarecrow. "Hold on tight, or you may geta tumble. The Thing seems to rock badly.'

"It will be dark soon," said Tip, observing that the sun was low on thehorizon. "Perhaps we should have waited until morning. I wonder if the Gumpcan fly in the night."

"I've been wondering that myself," returned the Gump quietly. "You see, thisis a new experience to me. I used to have legs that carried me swiftly overthe ground. But now my legs feel as if they were asleep."

"They are," said Tip. "We didn't bring 'em to life."

"You're expected to fly," explained the Scarecrow. "not to walk."

"We can walk ourselves," said the Woggle-Bug."

I begin to understand what is required of me," remarked the Gump; "so I willdo my best toplease you," and he flew on for a time in silence.

Presently Jack Pumpkinhead became uneasy.

"I wonder if riding through the air is liable to spoil pumpkins," he said.

"Not unless you carelessly drop your head over the side," answered theWoggle-Bug. "In that event your head would no longer be a pumpkin, for itwould become a squash."

"Have I not asked you to restrain these unfeeling jokes?" demanded Tip,looking at the Woggle-Bug with a severe expression.

"You have; and I've restrained a good many of them," replied the insect."But there are opportunities for so many excellent puns in our languagethat, to an educated person like myself, the temptation to express them isalmost irresistible."

"People with more or less education discovered those puns centuries ago,"said Tip.

"Are you sure?" asked the Woggle-Bug, with a startled look.

"Of course I am," answered the boy. "An educated Woggle-Bug may be a newthing; but a Woggle-Bug education is as old as the hills, judging from thedisplay you make of it."

The insect seemed much impressed by this remark, and for a time maintained ameek silence.

The Scarecrow, in shifting his seat, saw upon the cushions the pepper-boxwhich Tip had cast aside, and began to examine it.

"Throw it overboard," said the boy; "it's quite empty now, and there's nouse keeping it."

"Is it really empty?" asked the Scarecrow, looking curiously into the box.

"Of course it is," answered Tip. "I shook out every grain of the powder.

"Then the box has two bottoms," announced the Scarecrow, "for the bottom onthe inside is fully an inch away from the bottom on the outside."

"Let me see," said the Tin Woodman, taking the box from his friend. "Yes,"he declared, after looking it over, "the thing certainly has a false bottom.Now, I wonder what that is for?"

"Can't you get it apart, and find out?" enquired Tip, now quite interestedin the mystery.

"Why, yes; the lower bottom unscrews," said the Tin Woodman. "My fingers arerather stiff; please see if you can open it."

He handed the pepper-box to Tip, who had no difficulty in unscrewing thebottom. And in the cavity below were three silver pills, with a carefullyfolded paper lying underneath them.

This paper the boy proceeded to unfold, takingcare not to spill the pills, and found several lines clearly written in redink.

"Read it aloud," said the Scarecrow. so Tip read, as follows:

"DR. NIKIDIK'S CELEBRATED WISHING PILLS.

"Directions for Use: Swallow one pill; count seventeen by twos; then make aWish.-The Wish will immediately be granted.CAUTION: Keep in a Dry and Dark Place."

"Why, this is a very valuable discovery!" cried the Scarecrow.

"It is, indeed," replied Tip, gravely. "These pills may be of great use tous. I wonder if old Mombi knew they were in the bottom of the pepper-box. Iremember hearing her say that she got the Powder of Life from this sameNikidik."

"He must be a powerful Sorcerer!" exclaimed the Tin Woodman; "and since thepowder proved a success we ought to have confidence in the pills."

"But how," asked the Scarecrow, "can anyone count seventeen by twos?Seventeen is an odd number."

"That is true," replied Tip, greatly disappointed. "No one can possiblycount seventeen by twos."

"Then the pills are of no use to us," wailed the Pumpkinhead; "and this factoverwhelms me withgrief. For I had intended wishing that my head would never spoil."

"Nonsense!" said the Scarecrow, sharply. "If we could use the pills at allwe would make far better wishes than that."

"I do not see how anything could be better," protested poor Jack. "If youwere liable to spoil at any time you could understand my anxiety."

"For my part," said the Tin Woodman, "I sympathize with you in everyrespect. But since we cannot count seventeen by twos, sympathy is all youare liable to get."

By this time it had become quite dark, and the voyagers found above them acloudy sky, through which the rays of the moon could not penetrate.

The Gump flew steadily on, and for some reason the huge sofa-body rockedmore and more dizzily every hour.

The Woggle-Bug declared he was sea-sick; and Tip was also pale and somewhatdistressed. But the others clung to the backs of the sofas and did not seemto mind the motion as long as they were not tipped out.

Darker and darker grew the night, and on and on sped the Gump through theblack heavens. Thetravelers could not even see one another, and an oppressive silence settleddown upon them.

After a long time Tip, who had been thinking deeply, spoke.

"How are we to know when we come to the pallace of Glinda the Good?" heasked.

"It's a long way to Glinda's palace," answered the Woodman; "I've traveledit."

"But how are we to know how fast the Gump is flying?" persisted the boy. "Wecannot see a single thing down on the earth, and before morning we may befar beyond the place we want to reach."

"That is all true enough," the Scarecrow replied, a little uneasily. "But Ido not see how we can stop just now; for we might alight in a river, or on,the top of a steeple; and that would be a great disaster."

So they permitted the Gump to fly on, with regular flops of its great wings,and waited patiently for morning.

Then Tip's fears were proven to be well founded; for with the first streaksof gray dawn they looked over the sides of the sofas and discovered rollingplains dotted with queer villages, where the houses, instead of being dome-shaped -- as they all are in the Land of Oz -- had slanting roofs that roseto a peakin the center. Odd looking animals were also moving about upon the openplains, and the country was unfamiliar to both the Tin Woodman and theScarecrow, who had formerly visited Glinda the Good's domain and knew itwell.

"We are lost!" said the Scarecrow, dolefully. "The Gump must have carried usentirely out of the Land of Oz and over the sandy deserts and into theterrible outside world that Dorothy told us about."

"We must get back," exclaimed the Tin Woodman, earnestly. "we must get backas soon as possible!"

"Turn around!" cried Tip to the Gump. "turn as quickly as you can!"

"If I do I shall upset," answered the Gump. "I'm not at all used to flying,and the best plan would be for me to alight in some place, and then I canturn around and take a fresh start."

Just then, however, there seemed to be no stopping-place that would answertheir purpose. They flew over a village so big that the Woggle-Bug declaredit was a city. and then they came to a range of high mountains with manydeep gorges and steep cliffs showing plainly.

"Now is our chance to stop," said the boy, findingthey were very close to the mountain tops. Then he turned to the Gump andcommanded: "Stop at the first level place you see!"

"Very well," answered the Gump, and settled down upon a table of rock thatstood between two cliffs.

But not being experienced in such matters, the Gump did not judge his speedcorrectly; and instead of coming to a stop upon the flat rock he missed itby half the width of his body, breaking off both his right wings against thesharp edge of the rock and then tumbling over and over down the cliff.

Our friends held on to the sofas as long as they could, but when the Gumpcaught on a proJecting rock the Thing stopped suddenly -- bottom side up --and all were immediately dumped out.

By good fortune they fell only a few feet; for underneath them was a monsternest, built by a colony of Jackdaws in a hollow ledge of rock; so none ofthem -- not even the Pumpkinhead -- was injured by the fall. For Jack foundhis precious head resting on the soft breast of the Scarecrow, which made anexcellent cushion; and Tip fell on a mass of leaves and papers, which savedhim from injury. The Woggle-Bug had bumped his round head againstthe Saw-Horse, but without causing him more than a moment's inconvenience.

The Tin Woodman was at first much alarmed; but finding he had escapedwithout even a scratch upon his beautiful nickle-plate he at once regainedhis accustomed cheerfulness and turned to address his comrades.

"Our Journey had ended rather suddenly," said he; "and we cannot justlyblame our friend the Gump for our accident, because he did the best he couldunder the circumstances. But how we are ever to escape from this nest I mustleave to someone with better brains than I possess."

Here he gazed at the Scarecrow; who crawled to the edge of the nest andlooked over. Below them was a sheer precipice several hundred feet in depth.Above them was a smooth cliff unbroken save by the point of rock where thewrecked body of the Gump still hung suspended from the end of one of thesofas. There really seemed to be no means of escape, and as they realizedtheir helpless plight the little band of adventurers gave way to theirbewilderment.

"This is a worse prison than the palace," sadly remarked the Woggle-Bug.

"I wish we had stayed there," moaned Jack.

"I'm afraid the mountain air isn't good for pumpkins."

"It won't be when the Jackdaws come back," growled the Saw-Horse, which laywaving its legs in a vain endeavor to get upon its feet again. "Jackdaws areespecially fond of pumpkins."

"Do you think the birds will come here?" asked Jack, much distressed.

"Of course they will," said Tip; "for this is their nest. And there must behundreds of them," he continued, "for see what a lot of things they havebrought here!"

Indeed, the nest was half filled with a most curious collection of smallarticles for which the birds could have no use, but which the thievingJackdaws had stolen during many years from the homes of men. And as the nestwas safely hidden where no human being could reach it, this lost propertywould never be recovered.

The Woggle-Bug, searching among the rubbish -- for the Jackdaws stoleuseless things as well as valuable ones -- turned up with his foot abeautiful diamond necklace. This was so greatly admired by the Tin Woodmanthat the Woggle-Bug presented it to him with a graceful speech, after whichthe Woodman hung it around his neck with much pride,rejoicing exceedingly when the big diamonds glittered in the sun's rays.

But now they heard a great jabbering and flopping of wings, and as the soundgrew nearer to them Tip exclaimed:

"The Jackdaws are coming! And if they find us here they will surely kill usin their anger."

"I was afraid of this!" moaned the Pumpkinhead. "My time has come!"

"And mine, also!" said the Woggle-Bug; "for Jackdaws are the greatestenemies of my race."

The others were not at all afraid; but the Scarecrow at once decided to savethose of the party who were liable to be injured by the angry birds. So hecommanded Tip to take off Jack's head and lie down with it in the bottom ofthe nest, and when this was done he ordered the Woggle-Bug to lie besideTip. Nick Chopper, who knew from past experience Just what to do, then tookthe Scarecrow to pieces (all except his head) and scattered the straw overTip and the Woggle-Bug, completely covering their bodies.

Hardly had this been accomplished when the flock of Jackdaws reached them.Perceiving the intruders in their nest the birds flew down upon them withscreams of rage.