The Capture of the Companions by the Monkeys

The Capture of the Companions by the Monkeys is the decisive turning point in the quest to destroy the Wicked Witch of the West, shattering the travelers' unity and leaving Dorothy isolated and enslaved in the Witch's castle. After her wolves, crows, bees, and Winkie slaves had all failed to stop the intruders, the Wicked Witch resorted to her last and most powerful weapon: the Golden Cap, which allowed her to command the Winged Monkeys for the third and final time. The Monkeys, a band of creatures with immense and powerful wings on their shoulders, appeared in a darkened sky filled with rushing wings, chattering, and laughter, and their leader asked for her command. She ordered them to destroy all the strangers except the Lion, whom she intended to harness like a horse and make him work.

The Destruction of the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow

The Monkeys executed their orders with brutal efficiency. Some of them seized the Tin Woodman and carried him through the air until they were over a country thickly covered with sharp rocks, where they dropped him. He fell a great distance onto the rocks, landing so battered and dented that he could neither move nor groan. Others caught the Scarecrow and, with their long fingers, pulled all the straw out of his clothes and head. They then made his hat, boots, and clothes into a small bundle and threw it into the top branches of a tall tree, leaving him utterly dismantled.

The Capture of the Cowardly Lion and the Sparing of Dorothy

The remaining Monkeys threw pieces of stout rope around the Cowardly Lion, winding many coils about his body, head, and legs until he was unable to bite, scratch, or struggle. They lifted him up and flew away with him to the Witch's castle, where he was placed in a small yard with a high iron fence around it, ensuring he could not escape. Dorothy, however, was not harmed at all. She stood with Toto in her arms, watching the sad fate of her comrades, expecting her turn to come. The leader of the Winged Monkeys flew up to her with his long, hairy arms stretched out and his ugly face grinning terribly, but he saw the mark of the Good Witch's kiss upon her forehead and stopped short, motioning the others not to touch her. He declared that they dared not harm her because she was protected by the Power of Good, which is greater than the Power of Evil. Instead, they carefully and gently lifted Dorothy in their arms and carried her swiftly through the air until they came to the castle, setting her down upon the front doorstep.

Consequences and Aftermath

The leader then told the Witch that they had obeyed her as far as they were able: the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow were destroyed, the Lion was tied up in her yard, but the little girl and the dog she carried they dared not harm. With that, the Winged Monkeys, their power over the band now ended, flew into the air with much laughing and chattering and were soon out of sight. The Wicked Witch, seeing the mark on Dorothy's forehead, knew she could not hurt the girl directly, but she also saw the Silver Shoes on Dorothy's feet and trembled with fear, knowing their powerful charm. However, she realized Dorothy did not know how to use the shoes' power, so she made the girl her kitchen slave, forcing her to clean pots, sweep floors, and feed the fire. The Lion was imprisoned in the courtyard and starved, though Dorothy secretly brought him food at night. This capture thus set the stage for Dorothy's eventual, accidental destruction of the Witch, as her captivity led directly to the theft of the Silver Shoe and the fatal dousing with water.