Chapter 9. The Queen of the Field Mice


"We can't be far from the yellow brick road," said the Scarecrow. He was standing next to the girl. "We've traveled almost as far as the river took us."

The Tin Woodman was about to answer. But then he heard a soft growl. The Woodman turned his head, which moved smoothly on hinges. He saw a strange beast running over the grass towards them. It was a large, yellow wildcat.

The Woodman thought the Wildcat must be chasing something. Its ears were flat against its head. Its mouth was wide open, revealing two rows of ugly, sharp teeth. Its red eyes glowed like burning coals.

As the beast approached, the Tin Woodman saw a tiny, grey field mouse running in front of it. The Woodman had no heart, but he knew it was wrong for the Wildcat to try to kill such a cute, harmless creature.

So, the Woodman lifted his axe. When the Wildcat ran past, he hit it. The hit was so strong it severed the beast's head from its body. The creature rolled over at the Tin Woodman's feet in two pieces.

The field mouse, now safe from its enemy, stopped running. It came slowly towards the Woodman. In a tiny, squeaky voice, it said:

"Oh, thank you! You've saved my life."

"Please, don't mention it," answered the Woodman. "I don't have a heart. That's why I try to help those who need a friend, even if it's just a mouse."

"Just a mouse!" exclaimed the tiny creature, deeply offended. "I am a queen. I'm the Queen of all the field mice!"

"Oh, really?" replied the Woodman, bowing.

"Therefore, you've done a great and brave deed saving my life," added the Queen.

At that moment, several mice started running towards them. Their little legs moved as fast as they could. Seeing their Queen, they exclaimed:

"Oh, Your Majesty, we thought you would be killed! How did you escape that big Wildcat?" They all bowed so low to the little Queen that they almost stood upon their heads.

"This funny tin man," she replied, "killed the Wildcat and saved me. From now on, you must serve him and obey his every command."

"We will!" shrieked all the mice together. Then, they ran off in every direction.

Toto had woken from his nap. Seeing all these mice, he barked happily and jumped into the middle of the group. Toto had always enjoyed chasing mice back in Kansas and saw no harm in it.

But the Tin Woodman grabbed Toto and held him tight. He called to the mice, "Come back! Come back! Toto won't hurt you."

Hearing this, the Queen of the Mice peeked her head out from under a patch of grass. She asked in a timid voice, "Are you sure he won't bite us?"

"I won't let him," said the Woodman. "So, you have nothing to fear."

One by one, the mice started creeping back. Toto didn't bark again. He tried to escape from the Woodman's arms. He would have bitten him if he didn't know the Woodman was made of tin. Finally, one of the biggest mice spoke up.

"Is there anything we can do to thank you for saving our Queen?" it asked.

"Not that I can think of," replied the Woodman.

The Scarecrow had been trying to think but couldn't because his head was stuffed with straw. He said, "Oh, yes, you can help our friend, the Cowardly Lion, who's sleeping in the poppy bed."

"A Lion!" exclaimed the little Queen. "He could eat us all."

"Oh, no," the Scarecrow reassured her. "This Lion is a coward."

"Really?" asked the Mouse.

"He says so himself," answered the Scarecrow. "He'd never hurt anyone who's our friend. If you help us save him, I promise he'll be nice to you."

"Very well," said the Queen. "We trust you. But what should we do?"

"Do you have many mice who call you Queen and are ready to obey you?"

"Oh, yes. There are thousands," she replied.

"Then, have all of them come here as quickly as possible," said the Scarecrow. "Make sure each one brings a long piece of string."

The Queen told the mice to go get all her people with her. Hearing her commands, they ran off in every direction as fast as they could.

"Now," the Scarecrow told the Tin Woodman, "you must make a cart from those riverside trees. It should be big enough to carry the Lion."

So the Woodman went to the trees and began to work. He quickly made a cart from the tree limbs. He removed all leaves and branches. The Tin Woodman joined it together with wooden pegs. He made the four wheels from short pieces of a large tree trunk. He worked so fast and well that the cart was ready by the time the mice started arriving.

They came from all directions, and there were thousands of them. There were big mice, little mice, and medium-sized mice. Each brought a piece of string in its mouth. At this time, Dorothy woke from her long sleep. She opened her eyes and was shocked to find herself on the grass. Thousands of mice were standing around, looking at her timidly.

The Scarecrow told her everything that had happened. He turned to the dignified little Mouse and said, "Allow me to introduce you to Her Majesty, the Queen."

Dorothy nodded thoughtfully, and the Queen curtsied. After that, she became quite friendly with the little girl.

The Scarecrow and the Woodman began to fasten the mice to the cart. They used the strings the mice had brought. They tied one end of a string around each Mouse's neck and the other end to the cart.

Of course, the cart was much larger than any of the mice. But when all the mice were harnessed, they could easily pull it. Even the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman could sit on it. Their strange little horses drew them swiftly to where the Lion was sleeping.

After much hard work, they got him on the cart since the Lion was heavy. The Queen quickly gave her people the order to start. She worried that if the mice stayed among the poppies for too long, they would fall asleep.

At first, the tiny creatures, though numerous, could barely move the heavily loaded cart. But the Woodman and the Scarecrow pushed from behind and got along better. Soon, they rolled the Lion out of the poppy bed to the green fields. There, he could breathe fresh air again instead of the toxic scent of the flowers.

Dorothy met them and thanked the little mice warmly. They had saved her companion from death. Dorothy really liked the big Lion and was happy that he was rescued.

Then, the mice were unhitched from the cart and scampered away through the grass. They returned to their homes. The Queen of the Mice was the last to leave.

"If you ever need us again," she said, "call us in the field. We'll hear you and come to help. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" they all replied. The Queen ran off while Dorothy held Toto tight. She didn't want him to run after her and scare her.

After this, they sat next to the Lion until he woke up. The Scarecrow got Dorothy some fruits from a nearby tree. She had them for her dinner.