Tik-Tok of Oz | Page 6

Oz at all, but in an unknown country.
"Never mind," said Ann, trying to conceal her disappointment; "we
have started out to conquer the world, and here is part of it. In time, as
we pursue our victorious journey, we will doubtless come to Oz; but,
until we get there, we may as well conquer whatever land we find
ourselves in."
"Have we conquered this place, Your Majesty?" anxiously inquired
Major Cake.
"Most certainly," said Ann. "We have met no people, as yet, but when
we do, we will inform them that they are our slaves."
"And afterward we will plunder them of all their possessions," added
General Apple.
"They may not possess anything," objected Private Files; "but I hope
they will fight us, just the same. A peaceful conquest wouldn't be any
fun at all."
"Don't worry," said the Queen. "We can fight, whether our foes do or
not; and perhaps we would find it more comfortable to have the enemy
surrender promptly."
It was a barren country and not very pleasant to travel in. Moreover,
there was little for them to eat, and as the officers became hungry they
became fretful. Many would have deserted had they been able to find
their way home, but as the Oogaboo people were now hopelessly lost in
a strange country they considered it more safe to keep together than to
separate.
Queen Ann's temper, never very agreeable, became sharp and irritable
as she and her army tramped over the rocky roads without encountering

either people or plunder. She scolded her officers until they became
surly, and a few of them were disloyal enough to ask her to hold her
tongue. Others began to reproach her for leading them into difficulties
and in the space of three unhappy days every man was mourning for his
orchard in the pretty valley of Oogaboo.
Files, however, proved a different sort. The more difficulties he
encountered the more cheerful he became, and the sighs of the officers
were answered by the merry whistle of the Private. His pleasant
disposition did much to encourage Queen Ann and before long she
consulted the Private Soldier more often than she did his superiors.
It was on the third day of their pilgrimage that they encountered their
first adventure. Toward evening the sky was suddenly darkened and
Major Nails exclaimed:
"A fog is coming toward us."
"I do not think it is a fog," replied Files, looking with interest at the
approaching cloud. "It seems to me more like the breath of a Rak."
"What is a Rak?" asked Ann, looking about fearfully.
"A terrible beast with a horrible appetite," answered the soldier,
growing a little paler than usual. "I have never seen a Rak, to be sure,
but I have read of them in the story-books that grew in my orchard, and
if this is indeed one of those fearful monsters, we are not likely to
conquer the world."
Hearing this, the officers became quite worried and gathered closer
about their soldier.
"What is the thing like?" asked one.
"The only picture of a Rak that I ever saw in a book was rather
blurred," said Files, "because the book was not quite ripe when it was
picked. But the creature can fly in the air and run like a deer and swim
like a fish. Inside its body is a glowing furnace of fire, and the Rak

breathes in air and breathes out smoke, which darkens the sky for miles
around, wherever it goes. It is bigger than a hundred men and feeds on
any living thing."
The officers now began to groan and to tremble, but Files tried to cheer
them, saying:
"It may not be a Rak, after all, that we see approaching us, and you
must not forget that we people of Oogaboo, which is part of the
fairyland of Oz, cannot be killed."
"Nevertheless," said Captain Buttons, "if the Rak catches us, and chews
us up into small pieces, and swallows us--what will happen then?"
"Then each small piece will still be alive," declared Files.
"I cannot see how that would help us," wailed Colonel Banjo. "A
hamburger steak is a hamburger steak, whether it is alive or not!"
"I tell you, this may not be a Rak," persisted Files. "We will know,
when the cloud gets nearer, whether it is the breath of a Rak or not. If it
has no smell at all, it is probably a fog; but if it has an odor of salt and
pepper, it is a Rak and we must prepare for a desperate fight."
They all eyed the dark cloud fearfully. Before long it reached the
frightened group and began to envelop them. Every nose sniffed the
cloud-- and every one detected in it the odor of