Chapter 17 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Chapter seventeen, how the balloon waslaunched. For three days, Dorothy heard
nothing from Oz. These were saddays for the little girl, although her
friends were all quite happy and contented. The scarecrow told them there were wonderful
thoughts in his head, but hewould not say what they were, because
he knew no one could understand thembut himself. When the tin woodman walked

(00:22):
about, he felt his heart rattlingaround in his breast, and he told
Dorothy he had discovered it to bea kinder and more tender heart than the
one he had owned when he wasmade of flesh. The lion declared he
was afraid of nothing on earth,and would gladly face an army or a
dozen of the fierce Kalidas. Thuseach of the little party was satisfied,

(00:45):
except Dorothy, who longed more thanever to get back to Kansas. On
the fourth day, to her greatjoy, Oz sent for her, and
when she entered the throne room,he greeted her pleasantly. Sit down,
my dear, I think I havefound a way to get you out of
this country and back to Kansas.She asked eagerly. Well, I'm not

(01:06):
sure about Kansas, said Oz,for I haven't the faintest notion which way
it lies. But the first thingto do is to cross the desert,
and then it should be easy tofind your way home. How can I
cross the desert, she inquired,Well, I'll tell you what I think,
said the little man. You see, when I came to this country,

(01:26):
it was in a balloon. Youalso came through the air, being
carried by a cyclone, So Ibelieve the best way to get across the
desert will be through the air.Now, it is quite beyond my powers
to make a cyclone, but I'vebeen thinking the matter over, and I
believe I can make a balloon.How, asked Dorothy. A balloon,

(01:47):
said Oz, is made of silk, which is coated with glue to keep
the gas in it. I haveplenty of silk in the palace, so
it will be no trouble to makethe balloon. But in all this country
there is no gas to fill theballoon with to make it float. If
it won't float, remarked Dorothy,it will be of no use to us,
true, answered Oz. But thereis another way to make it float,

(02:12):
which is to fill it with hotair. Hot air isn't as good
as gas. For if the airshould get called, the balloon would come
down in the desert and we shouldbe lost, we exclaimed the girl.
Are you going with me? Yes, of course, replied Oz. I
am tired of being such a humbug. If I should go out of this
palace, my people would soon discoverI am not a wizard, and then

(02:37):
they would be vexed with me forhaving deceived them. So I have to
stay shut up in these rooms allday, and it gets tiresome. I'd
much rather go back to Kansas withyou and be in a circus again.
I should be glad to have yourcompany, said Dorothy. Thank you,
he answered, Now, if youwill help me sew the silk together,

(02:57):
we will begin work on our balloon. Dorothy took a needle and thread,
and as fast as Oz cut thestrips of silk into proper shape, the
girl sewed them neatly together. Firstthere was a strip of light green silk,
then a strip of dark green,and then a strip of emerald green,
for Oz had a fancy to makethe balloon in different shades of the
color about them. It took threedays to sew all the strips together,

(03:22):
but when it was finished, theyhad a big bag of green silk more
than twenty feet long. Then Ozpainted it on the inside with a coat
of thin glue to make it airtight, after which he announced that the
balloon was ready, But we musthave a basket to ride in, he
said, So he sent the soldierwith the green whiskers for a big clothes

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basket, which he fastened with manyropes to the bottom of the balloon.
When it was already Oz sent wordto his people that he was going to
make a visit to a great brotherwizard who lived in the clouds. The
news spread rapidly throughout the city,and everyone came to see the wonderful sight.
Oz ordered the balloon carried out infront of the palace, and the
people gazed upon it with much curiosity. The tin woodman had chopped a big

(04:08):
pile of wood, and now hemade a fire of it, and Oz
held the bottom of the balloon overthe fire, so that the hot air
that rose from it would be caughtin the silken bag. Gradually, the
balloon swelled out and rose into theair, until finally the basket just touched
the ground. Then Oz got intothe basket and said to all the people

(04:28):
in a loud voice. I amnow going away to make a visit.
While I am gone, the Scarecrowwill rule over you. I command you
to obey him as you would me. The balloon was by this time tugging
hard at the rope that held itto the ground, for the air within
was hot, and this made itso much lighter in weight than the air

(04:48):
without that it pulled hard to riseinto the sky. Come Dorothy, cried
the wizard. Hurry up, orthe balloon will fly away. I can't
find Toto anywhere, replied Dorothy,who did wished to leave her little dog
behind. Toto had run into thecrowd to bark at a kitten, and
Dorothy at last found him. Shepicked him up and ran towards the balloon.

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She was within a few steps ofit, and Oz was holding out
his hands to help her into thebasket. When krak went the ropes and
the balloon rose into the air withouther. Come back, She screamed,
I want to go too. Ican't come back, my dear, called
Oz from the basket. Goodbye,goodbye, shouted everyone, and all eyes

(05:30):
were turned upward to where the Wizardwas riding in the basket, rising every
moment farther and farther into the sky. And that was the last any of
them ever saw of Oz the WonderfulWizard. Though he may have reached Omaha
safely and be there now for allwe know. But the people remembered him
lovingly and said to one another,Oz was always our friend. When he

(05:53):
was here, he built for usthis beautiful emerald city. And now he
is gone. He has left usthe wy Scarecrow to rule over us.
Still, for many days they grievedover the loss of the Wonderful Wizard and
would not be comforted. End ofChapter seventeen.