The Battle with the Hammer-Heads

After emerging from the Forest of Beasts, where the Cowardly Lion had just killed the giant spider and been crowned King, the four travelers came upon a steep hill covered from top to bottom with great pieces of rock. The Scarecrow, leading the way, declared they must get over the hill, but as they neared the first rock a rough voice cried out, "Keep back!" When the Scarecrow asked who was speaking, a head showed itself over the rock and the same voice said, "This hill belongs to us, and we don't allow anyone to cross it." The Scarecrow insisted they must cross it to reach the country of the Quadlings, but the voice replied, "But you shall not!" and from behind the rock stepped the strangest man the travelers had ever seen.

The Hammer-Heads' Method of Attack

The creature was quite short and stout, with a big head that was flat at the top and supported by a thick neck full of wrinkles. He had no arms at all. Seeing this, the Scarecrow did not fear that so helpless a creature could prevent them from climbing the hill. He said, "I'm sorry not to do as you wish, but we must pass over your hill whether you like it or not," and walked boldly forward. As quick as lightning the man's head shot forward and his neck stretched out until the top of the head, where it was flat, struck the Scarecrow in the middle and sent him tumbling, over and over, down the hill. Almost as quickly as it came the head went back to the body, and the man laughed harshly, saying, "It isn't as easy as you think!" A chorus of boisterous laughter came from the other rocks, and Dorothy saw hundreds of the armless Hammer-Heads upon the hillside, one behind every rock.

The Lion's Failed Charge

The Lion became quite angry at the laughter caused by the Scarecrow's mishap. Giving a loud roar that echoed like thunder, he dashed up the hill. Again a head shot swiftly out, and the great Lion went rolling down the hill as if he had been struck by a cannon ball. Dorothy ran down and helped the Scarecrow to his feet, and the Lion came up to her, feeling rather bruised and sore. He said, "It is useless to fight people with shooting heads; no one can withstand them." Dorothy asked what they could do, and the Tin Woodman suggested calling the Winged Monkeys, reminding her that she still had the right to command them once more.

The Final Summoning of the Winged Monkeys

Dorothy agreed, put on the Golden Cap, and uttered the magic words. The Monkeys were as prompt as ever, and in a few moments the entire band stood before her. The King of the Monkeys bowed low and asked, "What are your commands?" Dorothy answered, "Carry us over the hill to the country of the Quadlings." The King said, "It shall be done," and at once the Winged Monkeys caught the four travelers and Toto up in their arms and flew away with them. As they passed over the hill, the Hammer-Heads yelled with vexation and shot their heads high in the air, but they could not reach the Winged Monkeys, which carried Dorothy and her comrades safely over the hill and set them down in the beautiful country of the Quadlings.

Consequences and Significance

This was the last time Dorothy could summon the Winged Monkeys, as the leader told her, "This is the last time you can summon us; so good-bye and good luck to you." The encounter with the Hammer-Heads thus exhausted the final use of the Golden Cap's charm, a resource that had been crucial throughout the journey. The battle also demonstrated that brute force, whether from the Scarecrow's straw body or the Lion's courage, was useless against the Hammer-Heads' unique, projectile-based defense. The only solution was to bypass the obstacle entirely through aerial transport, a strategy that required the travelers to expend their most powerful remaining magical asset. The Hammer-Heads themselves, with their armless bodies and detachable heads, represent one of the most physically bizarre and memorable threats in Oz, a tribe whose very anatomy is a weapon and whose prohibition against crossing their hill is enforced with absolute, comical violence.