Read the chapter
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Chapter 14. The Winged Monkeys
You'll remember there was no road, not even a path, between the castle of the Wicked Witch and the Emerald City.
When the four travelers went to find the Witch, she saw them and sent the Winged Monkeys to fetch them.
Finding their way back through the big fields of buttercups and yellow daisies was harder than being carried.
They knew, of course, they must go straight east, toward the rising sun, and they started off the right way.
But at noon, when the sun was over their heads, they did not know east from west.
That is why they were lost in the great fields.
They kept on walking, however, and at night the moon came out and shone brightly.
So they lay down among the sweet smelling yellow flowers and slept well until morning, all but the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman.
The next morning the sun was behind a cloud.
But they started on, as if they were sure which way they were going.
"If we walk far enough," said Dorothy, "I'm sure we'll sometime come to some place."
But day by day passed, and they still saw nothing before them but the red fields.
The Scarecrow began to complain a bit.
"We have surely lost our way,"
He said, "and unless we find it again in time to reach the Emerald City, I'll never get my brains.".
"Nor I my heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"It seems to me I can hardly wait till I get to Oz, and you must admit this is a very long journey."
"You see," said the Cowardly Lion, with a whine, "I don't have the courage to keep walking forever, without getting anywhere at all."
Then Dorothy lost hope and sat down, feeling very tired and sad.
She sat down on the grass and looked at her friends, and they sat down and looked at her.
Toto found that for the first time in his life he was too tired to chase a butterfly that flew past his head.
So he put out his tongue and panted and looked at Dorothy as if to ask what they should do next.
"Suppose we call the field mice," she suggested.
"They could probably tell us the way to the Emerald City."
"To be sure they could," cried the Scarecrow.
"Why didn't we think of that before?"
Dorothy blew the little whistle she had always worn on a string since the Queen of the Mice had given it to her.
In a few minutes they heard the patter of tiny feet, and many small gray mice came running up to her.
Among them was the Queen herself, who asked, in her squeaky little voice, "What can I do for my friends?"
"We have lost our way," said Dorothy.
"Can you tell us where the Emerald City is?"
"Certainly," answered the Queen.
"But it's a long way off, for you've had it at your backs all this time."
She noticed Dorothy's Golden Cap and said, "Use the charm and call the Winged Monkeys to you?"
"They'll carry you to the City of Oz in less than an hour," she added.
"I didn't know there was a charm," answered Dorothy, in surprise.
"What's it?"
"It's written inside the Golden Cap," replied the Queen of the Mice.
"But if you're going to call the Winged Monkeys we must run away, for they're full of trouble and think it great fun to bother us."
"Won't they hurt me?" asked the girl with fear.
"Oh, no. They must obey the person who wears the Cap. Good bye!"
And she ran out of sight, with all the mice hurrying after her.
Dorothy looked inside the Golden Cap and saw some words written on the lining.
These, she thought, must be the charm, so she read the words carefully and put the Cap on her head.
"Ep pe, pep pe, kak ke!" she said, standing on her left foot.
"What did you say?" asked the Scarecrow, who didn't know what she was doing.
"Hi lo, ho lo, he lo!" Dorothy went on, standing this time on her right foot.
"Hello!" replied the Tin Woodman calmly.
"Ziz zy, zuz zy, zik!" said Dorothy, who was now standing on both feet.
This ended the saying of the charm.
And they heard a great chattering and flapping of wings, as the band of Winged Monkeys flew up to them.
The King bowed low before Dorothy, and asked, "What's your command?"
"We wish to go to the Emerald City," said the child, "and we have lost our way."
"We'll carry you," replied the King, and no sooner had he spoken than two of the Monkeys caught Dorothy in their arms and flew away with her.
Others took the Scarecrow, the Woodman, and the Lion.
One little Monkey seized Toto and flew after them, although the dog tried hard to bite him.
The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were rather afraid at first, for they remembered how badly the Winged Monkeys had treated them before.
But they saw that no harm was meant, so they rode through the air quite happily.
They had a fine time looking at the pretty gardens and woods far below them.
Dorothy found herself riding easily between two of the biggest Monkeys, one of them the King himself.
They had made a chair of their hands and were careful not to hurt her.
"Why do you have to obey the charm of the Golden Cap?" she asked.
"That's a long story," answered the King, with a winged laugh.
"But as we have a long journey before us, I'll pass the time by telling you about it, if you wish."
"I'll be glad to hear it," she replied.
Once," began the leader, "we were a free people and lived happily in the great forest.
"We flew from tree to tree, ate nuts and fruit, and did as we pleased without any master".
Perhaps some of us were a little full of trouble at times.
We flew down to pull tails of animals without wings, chased birds, and threw nuts at people in the forest.
But we were careless and happy and full of fun, and enjoyed every minute of the day.
This was many years ago, long before Oz came out of the clouds to rule over this land.
"There lived here then, away at the North, a beautiful princess, who was also a powerful witch".
All her magic was used to help the people, and she was never known to hurt anyone who was good.
Her name was Gayelette, and she lived in a fine palace built from great blocks of red stone.
Everyone loved her, but her greatest sadness was that she could find no one to love her back.
All the men were much too foolish and ugly to be with one so beautiful and wise.
At last, however, she found a boy who was handsome and strong and wise beyond his years.
Gayelette made up her mind that when he grew to be a man she'd make him her husband.
She took him to her palace and by her magic made him strong, good, and lovely.
When he became a man, Quelala was said to be the best and wisest man in the land.
His strong, handsome looks made Gayelette love him dearly, and she quickly made everything ready for the wedding.
"My grandfather was at that time the King of the Winged Monkeys who lived in the forest near Gayelette's palace."
"The old fellow loved a joke more than a good dinner."
One day, just before the wedding, my grandfather was flying out with his band when he saw Quelala walking beside the river.
He was dressed in fine clothes of pink silk and purple velvet, and my grandfather thought he'd see what he could do.
At his word the band flew down and grabbed Quelala.
They carried him in their arms above the middle of the river and then dropped him into the water.
"Swim out, my fine fellow,' cried my grandfather, 'and see if the water has spoiled your clothes.'."
"Quelala was too wise not to swim, and he was not harmed by his good luck."
He laughed when he came to the top of the water, and swam to shore.
But when Gayelette came running out to him she found his silks and velvet all ruined by the river.
"The princess was angry, and she knew, of course, who did it".
She had all the Winged Monkeys brought before her.
And she said at first that their wings should be tied.
They should be treated as they had treated Quelala, and dropped in the river.
But my grandfather begged hard, for he knew the Monkeys would drown in the river with their wings tied.
Quelala said a kind word for them also, so Gayelette finally spared them.
She made them promise that the Winged Monkeys would always do three times the bidding of the owner of the Golden Cap.
This Cap had been made as a wedding gift for Quelala, and it's said to have cost the princess half her kingdom.
Of course my grandfather and all the other Monkeys at once agreed to the condition.
That's how it happens that we're three times the servants of the owner of the Golden Cap, whoever he may be.
"And what became of them?" asked Dorothy, who had been very interested in the story.
"Quelala being the first owner of the Golden Cap," replied the Monkey, "he was the first to lay his wishes upon us".
As his bride couldn't bear to see us, he called us all to him in the forest after he had married her.
He ordered us always to keep where she could never again set eyes on a Winged Monkey.
We were glad to do so, for we were all afraid of her.
This was all we ever had to do until the Golden Cap fell into the hands of the Wicked Witch of the West.
She then forced us to make the Winkies serve her and later drove Oz himself out of the Land of the West.
"Now the Golden Cap is yours, and three times you have the right to lay your wishes upon us."
As the Monkey King finished his story Dorothy looked down and saw the green, shining walls of the Emerald City before them.
She wondered at the fast flight of the Monkeys, but was glad the journey was over.
The strange creatures set the travelers down carefully before the gate of the City.
The King bowed low to Dorothy and then flew away followed by all his band.
"That was a good ride," said the little girl.
"Yes, and a quick way out of our troubles," replied the Lion.
"How lucky it was you brought away that wonderful Cap!"