Name: Chapter 02 - Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum - The Glass City
Uploaded: 2014-08-10T23:17:48.000Z
Duration: 20 min 9 s
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When Dorothy recovered her senses they were still falling, but not so fast.

The top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an umbrella filled with wind,

and held them back so that they floated downward with a gentle motion that was not

The worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this great crack in

the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was about to overtake them at any

Crash after crash echoed far above their heads, as the earth came together where it

had split, and stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side.

These they could not see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and Jim

screamed almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and struck his boney

They did not really hurt the poor horse, because everything was falling together;

only the stones and rubbish fell faster than the horse and buggy, which were held

the terrified animal was actually more frightened than he was injured.

How long this state of things continued Dorothy could not even guess, she was so

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead into the black chasm with a beating heart, she

began to dimly see the form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect

and his long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

Also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside her, who had until

now remained as still and silent as she herself.

Dorothy sighed and commenced to breathe easier.

She began to realize that death was not in store for her, after all, but that she had

merely started upon another adventure, which promised to be just as queer and

unusual as were those she had before encountered.

With this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over the side of

the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from.

Far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air.

The central and largest one was white, and reminded her of the sun.

Around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five brilliant

balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one blue and one orange.

This splendid group of colored suns sent rays darting in every direction, and as the

horse and buggy--with Dorothy and Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the

lights, the rays began to take on all the

delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more and more distinct every moment until

all the space was brilliantly illuminated.

Dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of Jim's big ears turn to

violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail should be yellow and his body

striped with blue and orange like the stripes of a zebra.

Then she looked at Zeb, whose face was blue and whose hair was pink, and gave a little

"Isn't it funny?" she said. The boy was startled and his eyes were big.

Dorothy had a green streak through the center of her face where the blue and

yellow lights came together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright.

"I--I don't s-s-see any-thing funny--'bout it!" he stammered.

Just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the horse tipping

But they continued to fall, all together, and the boy and girl had no difficulty in

remaining upon the seat, just as they were before.

Then they turned bottom side up, and continued to roll slowly over until they

During this time Jim struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on

finding himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of voice:

Dorothy and Zeb looked at one another in wonder.

"Can your horse talk?" she asked. "Never knew him to, before," replied the

"Those were the first words I ever said," called out the horse, who had overheard

them, "and I can't explain why I happened to speak then.

This is a nice scrape you've got me into, isn't it?"

"As for that, we are in the same scrape ourselves," answered Dorothy, cheerfully.

"But never mind; something will happen pretty soon."

"Of course," growled the horse; "and then we shall be sorry it happened."

All this was so terrible and unreal that he could not understand it at all, and so had

good reason to be afraid. Swiftly they drew near to the flaming

colored suns, and passed close beside them.

The light was then so bright that it dazzled their eyes, and they covered their

faces with their hands to escape being blinded.

There was no heat in the colored suns, however, and after they had passed below

them the top of the buggy shut out many of the piercing rays so that the boy and girl

"We've got to come to the bottom some time," remarked Zeb, with a deep sigh.

"We can't keep falling forever, you know." "Of course not," said Dorothy.

"We are somewhere in the middle of the earth, and the chances are we'll reach the

other side of it before long. But it's a big hollow, isn't it?"

"We're coming to something now," announced the horse.

At this they both put their heads over the side of the buggy and looked down.

Yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away, either.

But they were floating very, very slowly-- so slowly that it could no longer be called

a fall--and the children had ample time to take heart and look about them.

They saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very like those

upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly colored by the variegated

Here and there were groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they

sparkled so brightly. "I'm sure we are in no danger," said

"We are falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land, and this

country that we are coming to seems quite pretty."

"We'll never get home again, though!" declared Zeb, with a groan.

"Oh, I'm not so sure of that," replied the girl.

"But don't let us worry over such things, Zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you

know, and I've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble."

The boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and soon both were

fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread out below them.

They seemed to be falling right into the middle of a big city which had many tall

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Chapter 02 - Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum - The Glass City

fall

edge

side

strange