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as they could.
When they returned to the castle the Wicked Witch beat themwell with a strap, and sent them back to their work, after whichshe sat down to think what she should do next. She could notunderstand how all her plans to destroy these strangers had failed;but she was a powerful Witch, as well as a wicked one, and she soonmade up her mind how to act.
There was, in her cupboard, a Golden Cap, with a circle ofdiamonds and rubies running round it. This Golden Cap had a charm.Whoever owned it could call three times upon the Winged Monkeys,who would obey any order they were given. But no personcould command these strange creatures more than three times.Twice already the Wicked Witch had used the charm of the Cap.Once was when she had made the Winkies her slaves, and set herselfto rule over their country. The Winged Monkeys had helped herdo this. The second time was when she had fought against theGreat Oz himself, and driven him out of the land of the West.The Winged Monkeys had also helped her in doing this. Only oncemore could she use this Golden Cap, for which reason she did notlike to do so until all her other powers were exhausted. But nowthat her fierce wolves and her wild crows and her stinging bees weregone, and her slaves had been scared away by the Cowardly Lion,she saw there was only one way left to destroy Dorothy and her friends.So the Wicked Witch took the Golden Cap from her cupboard andplaced it upon her head. Then she stood upon her left foot andsaid slowly:
"Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!"
Next she stood upon her right foot and said:"Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!"
After this she stood upon both feet and cried in a loud voice:"Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!"
Now the charm began to work. The sky was darkened, and a lowrumbling sound was heard in the air. There was a rushing of manywings, a great chattering and laughing, and the sun came out of thedark sky to show the Wicked Witch surrounded by a crowd of monkeys,each with a pair of immense and powerful wings on his shoulders.One, much bigger than the others, seemed to be their leader.He flew close to the Witch and said, "You have called us for thethird and last time. What do you command?""Go to the strangers who are within my land and destroy themall except the Lion," said the Wicked Witch. "Bring that beast tome, for I have a mind to harness him like a horse, and make him work.""Your commands shall be obeyed," said the leader. Then, witha great deal of chattering and noise, the Winged Monkeys flew awayto the place where Dorothy and her friends were walking.Some of the Monkeys seized the Tin Woodman and carried himthrough the air until they were over a country thickly coveredwith sharp rocks. Here they dropped the poor Woodman, who fell agreat distance to the rocks, where he lay so battered and dentedthat he could neither move nor groan.
