The Decision to Seek Glinda

After the Wizard Oz departed alone in his balloon, leaving Dorothy stranded in the Emerald City, the four travelers faced the collapse of their last hope for a direct return to Kansas. Dorothy wept bitterly at the passing of her hope to get home, but when she thought it all over she was glad she had not gone up in the balloon. The Scarecrow, now the ruler of the Emerald City, sat in the big throne while the others stood respectfully before him. He declared himself quite satisfied with his lot, remembering that a short time ago he was up on a pole in a farmer's cornfield. The Tin Woodman was well-pleased with his new heart, and the Lion was content in knowing he was as brave as any beast. But Dorothy insisted she did not want to live in the Emerald City; she wanted to go to Kansas and live with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

The Search for a Way Home

The Scarecrow decided to think, and he thought so hard that the pins and needles began to stick out of his brains. He suggested calling the Winged Monkeys to carry Dorothy over the desert. Dorothy joyfully fetched the Golden Cap and spoke the magic words, summoning the band of Winged Monkeys. The Monkey King bowed before her and asked what she wished. When Dorothy asked to be flown to Kansas, the Monkey King shook his head, explaining that the Winged Monkeys belonged to this country alone and could not leave it; there had never been a Winged Monkey in Kansas, and they could not cross the desert. Dorothy was ready to cry with disappointment, realizing she had wasted the charm of the Golden Cap to no purpose.

The Soldier's Advice

The Scarecrow, thinking again until his head bulged out horribly, summoned the Soldier with the Green Whiskers, who had never before been allowed farther than the door while Oz was alive. The soldier told them that nobody had ever crossed the desert except Oz himself. When Dorothy asked if there was no one who could help her, the soldier suggested Glinda. He explained that Glinda was the Witch of the South, the most powerful of all the Witches, ruling over the Quadlings, and that her castle stood on the edge of the desert, so she might know a way to cross it. The soldier added that the Quadlings thought Glinda was good, that she was kind to everyone, and that she was a beautiful woman who knew how to keep young in spite of the many years she had lived. The road to her castle was straight to the South, but it was said to be full of dangers: wild beasts in the woods and a race of queer men who did not like strangers to cross their country.

The Companions' Resolve

The Scarecrow concluded that the best thing Dorothy could do was to travel to the Land of the South and ask Glinda to help her, for if she stayed in the Emerald City she would never get back to Kansas. The Lion declared he would go with Dorothy, tired of the city and longing for the woods and the country again, knowing he was really a wild beast and that Dorothy would need someone to protect her. The Tin Woodman agreed, saying his axe might be of service to her, so he also would go with her to the Land of the South. When the Scarecrow asked when they should start, and the others expressed surprise that he would go, he explained that if it were not for Dorothy he would never have had brains; she had lifted him from the pole in the cornfield and brought him to the Emerald City, so his good luck was all due to her, and he would never leave her until she started back to Kansas for good and all. Dorothy thanked them all gratefully and said she should like to start as soon as possible. The Scarecrow declared they would go the next morning, and they all set about getting ready for the long journey.