L. Frank Baum 14 - The Unhappy Ferryman Lyrics

CHAPTER 14

THE UNHAPPY FERRYMAN

Leaving the grove where they had slept, the Frogman and the Cookie
Cook turned to the east to seek another house, and after a short walk
came to one where the people received them very politely. The
children stared rather hard at the big, pompous Frogman, but the woman
of the house, when Cayke asked for something to eat, at once brought
them food and said they were welcome to it. "Few people in need of
help pass this way," she remarked, "for the Winkies are all prosperous
and love to stay in their own homes. But perhaps you are not a
Winkie," she added.

"No," said Cayke, "I am a Yip, and my home is on a high mountain at
the southeast of your country."

"And the Frogman, is he also a Yip?"

"I do not know what he is, other than a very remarkable and highly
educated creature," replied the Cookie Cook. "But he has lived many
years among the Yips, who have found him so wise and intelligent that
they always go to him for advice."

"May I ask why you have left your home and where you are going?" said
the Winkie woman.

Then Cayke told her of the diamond-studded gold dishpan and how it had
been mysteriously stolen from her house, after which she had
discovered that she could no longer cook good cookies. So she had
resolved to search until she found her dishpan again, because a Cookie
cook who cannot cook good cookies is not of much use. The Frogman,
who had wanted to see more of the world, had accompanied her to a__ist
in the search. When the woman had listened to this story, she asked,
"Then you have no idea as yet who has stolen your dishpan?"

"I only know it must have been some mischievous fairy, or a magician,
or some such powerful person, because none other could have climbed
the steep mountain to the Yip Country. And who else could have
carried away my beautiful magic dishpan without being seen?"

The woman thought about this during the time that Cayke and the
Frogman ate their breakfast. When they had finished, she said, "Where
are you going next?"

"We have not decided," answered the Cookie cook.

"Our plan," explained the Frogman in his important way, "is to travel
from place to place until we learn where the thief is located and then
to force him to return the dishpan to its proper owner."

"The plan is all right," agreed the woman, "but it may take you a long
time before you succeed, your method being sort of haphazard and
indefinite. However, I advise you to travel toward the east."

"Why?" asked the Frogman.

"Because if you went west, you would soon come to the desert, and also
because in this part of the Winkie Country no one steals, so your time
here would be wasted. But toward the east, beyond the river, live
many strange people whose honesty I would not vouch for. Moreover, if
you journey far enough east and cross the river for a second time, you
will come to the Emerald City, where there is much magic and sorcery.
The Emerald City is ruled by a dear little girl called Ozma, who also
rules the Emperor of the Winkies and all the Land of Oz. So, as Ozma
is a fairy, she may be able to tell you just who has taken your
precious dishpan. Provided, of course, you do not find it before you
reach her."

."This seems to be to be excellent advice," said the Frogman, and Cayke
agreed with him.

."The most sensible thing for you to do," continued the woman, "would
be to return to your home and use another dishpan, learn to cook
cookies as other people cook cookies, without the aid of magic. But
if you cannot be happy without the magic dishpan you have lost, you
are likely to learn more about it in the Emerald City than at any
other place in Oz."

They thanked the good woman, and on leaving her house faced the east
and continued in that direction all the way. Toward evening they came
to the west branch of the Winkie River and there, on the riverbank,
found a ferryman who lived all alone in a little yellow house. This
ferryman was a Winkie with a very small head and a very large body.
He was sitting in his doorway as the travelers approached him and did
not even turn his head to look at them.

"Good evening," said the Frogman.

The ferryman made no reply.

"We would like some supper and the privilege of sleeping in your house
until morning," continued the Frogman. "At daybreak, we would like
some breakfast, and then we would like to have you row us across the
river."

The ferryman neither moved nor spoke. He sat in his doorway and
looked straight ahead. "I think he must be deaf and dumb," Cayke
whispered to her companion. Then she stood directly in front of the
ferryman, and putting her mouth close to his ear, she yelled as loudly
as she could, "Good evening!"

The ferryman scowled.

"Why do you yell at me, woman?" he asked.

"Can you hear what I say?" asked in her ordinary tone of voice.

"Of course," replied the man.

"Then why didn't you answer the Frogman?"
"Because," said the ferryman, "I don't understand the frog language."

"He speaks the same words that I do and in the same way," declared
Cayke.

"Perhaps," replied the ferryman, "but to me his voice sounded like a
frog's croak. I know that in the Land of Oz animals can speak our
language, and so can the birds and bugs and fishes; but in MY ears,
they sound merely like growls and chirps and croaks."

"Why is that?" asked the Cookie Cook in surprise.

"Once, many years ago, I cut the tail off a fox which had taunted me,
and I stole some birds' eggs from a nest to make an omelet with, and
also I pulled a fish from the river and left it lying on the bank to
gasp for lack of water until it died. I don't know why I did those
wicked things, but I did them. So the Emperor of the Winkies--who is
the Tin Woodman and has a very tender tin heart--punished me by
denying me any communication with beasts, birds or fishes. I cannot
understand them when they speak to me, although I know that other
people can do so, nor can the creatures understand a word I say to
them. Every time I meet one of them, I am reminded of my former
cruelty, and it makes me very unhappy."

"Really," said Cayke, "I'm sorry for you, although the Tin Woodman is
not to blame for punishing you."

"What is he mumbling about?" asked the Frogman.

"He is talking to me, but you don't understand him," she replied. And
then she told him of the ferryman's punishment and afterward explained
to the ferryman that they wanted to stay all night with him and be
fed. He gave them some fruit and bread, which was the only sort of
food he had, and he allowed Cayke to sleep in a room of his cottage.
But the Frogman he refused to admit to his house, saying that the
frog's presence made him miserable and unhappy. At no time would he
directly at the Frogman, or even toward him, fearing he would
shed tears if he did so; so the big frog slept on the riverbank where
he could hear little frogs croaking in the river all the night
through. But that did not keep him awake; it merely soothed him to
slumber, for he realized how much superior he was to them.

Just as the sun was rising on a new day, the ferryman rowed the two
travelers across the river--keeping his back to the Frogman all the
way--and then Cayke thanked him and bade him goodbye and the ferryman
rowed home again.

On this side of the river, there were no paths at
all, so it was evident they had reached a part of the country little
frequented by travelers. There was a marsh at the south of them,
sandhills at the north, and a growth of scrubby underbrush leading
toward a forest at the east. So the east was really the least
difficult way to go, and that direction was the one they had
determined to follow.

Now the Frogman, although he wore green patent-leather shoes with ruby
b___ons, had very large and flat feet, and when he tramped through the
scrub, his weight crushed down the underbrush and made a path for
Cayke to follow him. Therefore they soon reached the forest, where
the tall trees were set far apart but were so leafy that they shaded
all the s___es between them with their branches. "There are no bushes
here," said Cayke, much pleased, "so we can now travel faster and with
more comfort."

CHAPTER 15

THE BIG LAVENDER BEAR

It was a pleasant place to wander, and the two travelers were
proceeding at a brisk pace when suddenly a voice shouted, "Halt!"

They looked around in surprise, seeing at first no one at all. Then
from behind a tree there stepped a brown, fuzzy bear whose head came
about as high as Cayke's waist--and Cayke was a small woman. The bear
was chubby as well as fuzzy; his body was even puffy, while his legs
and arms seemed jointed at the knees and elbows and fastened to his
body by pins or rivets. His ears were round in shape and stuck out in
a comical way, while his round, black eyes were bright and sparkling
as beads. Over his shoulder the little brown bear bore a gun with a
tin barrel. The barrel had a cork in the end of it, and a string was
attached to the cork and to the handle of the gun. Both the Frogman
and Cayke gazed hard at this curious bear, standing silent for some
time. But finally the Frogman recovered from his surprise and
remarked, "It seems to me that you are stuffed with sawdust and ought
not to be alive."

"That's all you know about it," answered the little Brown Bear in a
squeaky voice. "I am stuffed with a very good quality of curled hair,
and my skin is the best plush that was ever made. As for my being
alive, that is my own affair and cannot concern you at all, except
that it gives me the privilege to say you are my prisoners."

"Prisoners! Why do you speak such nonsense?" the Frogman
angrily. "Do you think we are afraid of a toy bear with a toy gun?"

"You ought to be," was the confident reply, "for I am merely the
sentry guarding the way to Bear Center, which is a city containing
hundreds of my race, who are ruled by a very powerful sorcerer known
as the Lavender Bear.
He ought to be a purple color, you know, seeing
he is a King, but he's only light lavender, which is, of course,
second cousin to royal purple. So unless you come with me peaceably
as my prisoners, I shall fire my gun and bring a hundred bears of all
sizes and colors to capture you."

"Why do you wish to capture us?" inquired the Frogman, who had
listened to his speech with much astonishment.

"I don't wish to, as a matter of fact," replied the little Brown Bear,
"but it is my duty to, because you are now trespassing on the domain
of His Majesty, the King of Bear Center. Also, I will admit that
things are rather quiet in our city just now, and the excitement of
your capture, followed by your trial and execution, should afford us
much entertainment."

"We defy you!" said the Frogman.

"Oh no, don't do that," pleaded Cayke, speaking to her companion. "He
says his King is a sorcerer, so perhaps it is he or one of his bears
who ventured to steal my jeweled dishpan. Let us go to the City of
the Bears and discover if my dishpan is there."

"I must now register one more charge against you," remarked the little
Brown Bear with evident satisfaction. "You have just accused us of
stealing, and that is such a dreadful thing to say that I am quite
sure our noble King will command you to be executed."

"But how could you execute us?" inquired the Cookie Cook.

"I've no idea. But our King is a wonderful inventor, and there is no
doubt he can find a proper way to destroy you. So tell me, are you
going to struggle, or will you go peaceably to meet your doom?"

It was all so ridiculous that Cayke laughed aloud, and even the
Frogman's wide mouth curled in a smile. Neither was a bit afraid to
go to the Bear City, and it seemed to both that there was a
possibility they might discover the missing dishpan. So the Frogman
said, "Lead the way, little Bear, and we will follow without a
struggle."

"That's very sensible of you, very sensible indeed," declared the
Brown Bear. "So for-ward, MARCH!" And with the command he turned
around and began to waddle along a path that led between the trees.

Cayke and the Frogman, as they followed their conductor, could scarce
forbear laughing at his stiff, awkward manner of walking, and although
he moved his stuffy legs fast, his steps were so short that they had
to go slowly in order not to run into him. But after a time they
reached a large, circular s___e in the center of the forest, which was
clear of any stumps or underbrush. The ground was covered by a soft,
gray moss, pleasant to tread upon. All the trees surrounding this
s___e seemed to be hollow and had round holes in their trunks, set a
little way above the ground, but otherwise there was nothing unusual
about the place and nothing, in the opinion of the prisoners, to
indicate a settlement. But the little Brown Bear said in a proud and
impressive voice (although it still squeaked), "This is the wonderful
city known to fame as Bear Center!"

"But there are no houses, there are no bears living here at all!"
exclaimed Cayke.

"Oh indeed!" retorted their captor, and raising his gun he pulled the
trigger. The cork flew out of the tin barrel with a loud "pop!" and
at once from every hole in every tree within view of the clearing
appeared the head of a bear. They were of many colors and of many
sizes, but all were made in the same manner as the bear who had met
and captured them.

At first a chorus of growls arose, and then a sharp voice cried, "What
has happened, Corporal Waddle?"

"Captives, Your Majesty!" answered the Brown Bear. "Intruders upon
our domain and slanderers of our good name."

"Ah, that's important," answered the voice.

Then from out the hollow trees tumbled a whole regiment of stuffed
bears, some carrying tin swords, some popguns and others long spears
with gay ribbons tied to the handles. There were hundreds of them,
altogether, and they quietly formed a circle around the Frogman and
the Cookie Cook, but kept at a distance and left a large s___e for the
prisoners to stand in. Presently, this circle parted, and into the
center of it stalked a huge toy bear of a lovely lavender color. He
walked upon his hind legs, as did all the others, and on his head he
wore a tin crown set with diamonds and amethysts, while in one paw he
carried a short wand of some glittering metal that resembled silver
but wasn't.

"His Majesty the King!" Corporal Waddle, and all the bears
bowed low. Some bowed so low that they lost their balance and toppled
over, but they soon scrambled up again, and the Lavender King squatted
on his haunches before the prisoners and gazed at them steadily with
his bright, pink eyes.