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.Placing this before theCowardly Lion, who sniffed at it as if he did not like it, theWizard said:"Drink.""What is it?" asked the Lion."Well," answered Oz, "if it were inside of you, it would be courage.You know, of course, that courage is always inside one; so that thisreally cannot be called courage until you have swallowed it.ThereforeI advise you to drink it as soon as possible."The Lion hesitated no longer, but drank till the dish was empty."How do you feel now?" asked Oz."Full of courage," replied the Lion, who went joyfully back tohis friends to tell them of his good fortune.Oz, left to himself, smiled to think of his success in givingthe Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion exactly what theythought they wanted."How can I help being a humbug," he said,"when all these people make me do things that everybody knowscan't be done? It was easy to make the Scarecrow and the Lionand the Woodman happy, because they imagined I could do anything.But it will take more than imagination to carry Dorothy backto Kansas, and I'm sure I don't know how it can be done."17.How the Balloon Was LaunchedTopPage No 83For three days Dorothy heard nothing from Oz.These were saddays for the little girl, although her friends were all quitehappy and contented.The Scarecrow told them there were wonderfulthoughts in his head; but he would not say what they were becausehe knew no one could understand them but himself.When the TinWoodman walked about he felt his heart rattling around in hisbreast; and he told Dorothy he had discovered it to be a kinderand more tender heart than the one he had owned when he was madeof flesh.The Lion declared he was afraid of nothing on earth,and would gladly face an army or a dozen of the fierce Kalidahs.Thus each of the little party was satisfied except Dorothy,who longed more than ever to get back to Kansas.On the fourth day, to her great joy, Oz sent for her, and whenshe entered the Throne Room he greeted her pleasantly:"Sit down, my dear; I think I have found the way to get youout of this country.""And back to Kansas?" she asked eagerly."Well, I'm not sure about Kansas," said Oz, "for I haven't thefaintest notion which way it lies.But the first thing to do is tocross the desert, and then it should be easy to find your way home.""How can I cross the desert?" she inquired."Well, I'll tell you what I think," said the little man."You see, when I came to this country it was in a balloon.You alsocame through the air, being carried by a cyclone.So I believePage 62ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthe best way to get across the desert will be through the air.Now, it is quite beyond my powers to make a cyclone; but I've beenthinking the matter over, and I believe I can make a balloon.""How?" asked Dorothy."A balloon," said Oz, "is made of silk, which is coated withglue to keep the gas in it.I have plenty of silk in the Palace,so it will be no trouble to make the balloon.But in all thiscountry there is no gas to fill the balloon with, to make it float.""If it won't float," remarked Dorothy, "it will be of no use to us.""True," answered Oz."But there is another way to make itfloat, which is to fill it with hot air.Hot air isn't as good asTopPage No 84gas, for if the air should get cold the balloon would come down inthe desert, and we should be lost.""We!" exclaimed the girl."Are you going with me?""Yes, of course," replied Oz."I am tired of being such a humbug.If I should go out of this Palace my people would soon discover I am nota Wizard, and then they would be vexed with me for having deceived them.So I have to stay shut up in these rooms all day, and it gets tiresome.I'd much rather go back to Kansas with you and be in a circus again.""I shall be glad to have your company," said Dorothy."Thank you," he answered."Now, if you will help me sew thesilk together, we will begin to work on our balloon."So Dorothy took a needle and thread, and as fast as Oz cut thestrips of silk into proper shape the girl sewed them neatly together [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]