CHAPTER IV

ENTER THE MAGIC BOXING GLOVES, THE WOLVES, AND THE RUBBER RIVER

“The Strange Man is called ‘Jingles the Magician’ because he uses rhymes to work his magic,” the Faun Boys explained, as they walked from the house.

They had not gone far before they reached a large field. “This is queer!” one of the Faun Boys cried. “This field was not here when we came through a short time ago!”

About half-way across the field was a clump of bushes, and Gran’pa said, “Perhaps it would be as well to walk around it.” But as they drew nearer the bushes began moving, and what seemed at first to be a flock of birds arose and flew towards them.

As the objects came closer Gran’pa saw they were Boxing Gloves; swarms of them. They flew about the little group and peppered them from all sides. Gran’pa struck them right and left with his cane, but was finally forced down. The children, Gran’ma and the Faun Boys ran as fast as they could across the field, followed by the Boxing Gloves, which swarmed about their heads like giant bees and hit against their backs and heads.

Gran’pa, still on the ground, struck right and left with his heavy cane and at each swing he brought down one or two of the Boxing Gloves.

The children, Gran’ma and the Faun Boys by this time had reached the other side of the field and dashed into the underbrush. For some reason the Boxing Gloves did not follow, but turned and flew back and began pelting Gran’pa.

Whenever Gran’pa managed to get to his feet the Boxing Gloves knocked him down, so he lay on his back and struck right and left and kicked his heels in the air to keep them from striking him.

When Johnny saw that the Boxing Gloves did not follow into the underbrush he told Gran’ma and Janey to wait where they were and breaking off a stout stick Johnny rushed back to Gran’pa’s assistance.

The stick was so long and heavy that he tripped over it, but he didn’t mind that—just jumped up and ran faster than ever.

Some of the Boxing Gloves met him half-way and although Johnny knocked them down by the hundreds, he could not defend himself from all sides and three or four of the Boxing Gloves, striking him from behind, sent him flying to the ground.

Johnny rolled over and over, but kept his stout stick thrashing the air whenever he turned face up.

Gran’pa was still hitting the Boxing Gloves with his cane, but was getting very tired.

The ground was covered with broken Boxing Gloves, lying where Gran’pa and Johnny had struck them with their sticks.

Johnny tried to get upon his feet, but was promptly knocked down. The Faun Boys broke off large sticks and ran back into the field, where they fought the Boxing Gloves away from Gran’pa and Johnny.

The Faun Boys whipped so many of the Boxing Gloves that soon there were not enough left to injure Gran’pa and Johnny again, so as the few remaining Boxing Gloves flew at them Gran’pa and Johnny whipped these, too.

At last there were only three of the Boxing Gloves left and these were flying about one of the Faun Boys, trying to find a place to strike him.

Gran’pa ran to his assistance and as he struck at them one flew close and knocked Gran’pa’s glasses from his nose, so that he could not see.

“Watch for my glasses, boys!” he cried. “Don’t step on them!”

Johnny, running up, cracked one of the Boxing Gloves, but the other two kept getting behind him. Presently Johnny found himself with his back towards the Faun Boys, and a Boxing Glove coming to reach the Faun Boy did not know Johnny was there until Johnny caught it such a whack with his stick he tore it all to pieces. The Faun Boy finally knocked the thumb off the last one and the great fight with the Magic Boxing Gloves was over.

What a sight! There were thousands of torn Boxing Gloves lying about.

One of the Faun Boys found Gran’pa’s glasses and handed them to him.

“That was better than fighting bumble bees when I was a boy!” Gran’pa laughed. Aside from a black and blue eye, Gran’pa was not hurt in the least.

“That surely was fun!” Johnny cried, as they reached the place where they had left Janey and Gran’ma.

“It won’t be as much fun the next time!” a voice cried, and turning, they saw old Jingles the Magician sail from the Boxing Glove Bushes in the Flying Boat and disappear in the direction of his house.

“I thought he was responsible for those bushes!” said one of the Faun Boys. “You must watch out for him every minute, for all he has to do to change you into an animal is to puff his magic powder on you and say his rhyme!”

“We will watch out for him!” Gran’ma said.

The Faun Boys invited Gran’ma and Gran’pa and the children to their place to rest and have something to eat, so they led the way and without further adventure came to their tiny home.

When the Faun Boys had given Gran’pa and Gran’ma and the children food, Gran’pa said, “I don’t know how we shall contrive to get the flying boat away from old Jingles.”

“I should advise you not to try it,” one of the Faun Boys told him, “for he will only change you into animals if he once gets you separated from each other! I should advise you to travel in the opposite direction from his place until you come to the town of Nite. Living in that town you will find an old Witch who may be able to help you reach the earth again!”

“Perhaps that will be a wise thing to do!” Gran’ma said. “For if we should get separated and one of us should be changed to an animal, the rest of us could not go home without him and we could not take him home!”

“Yes,” Janey and Johnny said, “let us go to the City of Nite!”

So, thanking the Faun Boys for their hospitality, Gran’ma and Gran’pa and Janey and Johnny left them and started on their journey.

The Faun Boys had warned them to be careful of old Jingles.

“He may follow you all the way to the City of Nite and try to get each of you alone so he can say his rhymes,” they said, “but once you are in the City you are safe, for we have heard that the Witch is very angry at him and will destroy him some day if she can!”

After leaving the home of the Faun Boys, Gran’ma with her arm about Janey and Gran’pa with his arm around Johnny, the travelers walked until they came to a high cliff above a river. There seemed to be no way across to the other side of the canyon except by way of a Vine Bridge.

“I can never get across that thing!” Gran’ma cried.

“We’ll have to cross it or walk for miles and miles around!” Gran’pa said. For as far as they could see in either direction, the canyon was just as wide and deep as it was there.

“I just know I’d get dizzy and tumble in!” Gran’ma said.

Johnny walked out upon the vine bridge and bounced it up and down.

“It is strong enough to hold us, Gran’ma!” he called back. “Put your hands over your eyes and you will be all right.”

“I can’t do it!” Gran’ma replied, as she sat down on the ground.

“If we only had our boat we’d fly across!” Janey said.

“Yes! If we only had our boat we’d fly home!” Gran’ma sighed.

“Maybe, after all, we had best go back to the wicked Jingle’s house until he goes to bed and then we may be able to get our boat!” Gran’pa suggested.

“Perhaps we had!” Johnny agreed. So they turned from the canyon and started to retrace their steps.

Suddenly Gran’pa, who was in the lead, stopped and said, “Listen! What was that?”

They all held their breaths an instant later. It was the baying of Wolves.

“They are coming in this direction!” Johnny cried.

The sound grew louder.

“Which way shall we go?” Janey asked.

“Come on everybody!” Gran’ma cried, as she lifted her skirts and ran towards the Vine Bridge.

“Wait, Gran’ma!” Janey cried. “Let Johnny help you across!” But Gran’ma kept running.

Just as she reached the edge of the canyon she stumbled and slid over the cliff.

Gran’pa, Johnny and Janey ran to the edge and looked over, expecting to see Gran’ma struggling in the river far below, but what was their surprise to see her sitting upon the top of the water, unharmed.

“Are you hurt?” Gran’pa called.

“Not a speck!” Gran’ma called back. “The river is rubber and all I did was bounce up and down!”

“Jump over and have a bounce! I wish I were up there so I could do it again! It was fine!” Gran’ma added, as she jumped up and down and bounced about like a rubber ball.

Gran’pa had almost forgotten the Wolves coming behind them, but noticing now how near they seemed, he said, “We haven’t a great deal of time left, Johnny, we better jump! The Wolves have scented us and are getting closer every minute!”

“But if we get down there, how will we ever get up again?” Johnny wondered.

“I don’t know!” Gran’pa exclaimed, “but I know I shall not leave Gran’ma down there alone!” So with that, Gran’pa jumped from the cliff and turned over and over before he hit the Rubber River upon his back.

The children thought he never would stop bouncing.

By this time the children could see the Wolves in the distance.

“What shall we do?” Janey cried, wringing her hands. “If we jump down we may never get up again, if we stay here we shall be caught by the Wolves, and if we go across they will follow us!”

“We could go across and then, when the Wolves tried to follow, we could bounce the Vine Bridge and shake them off!” Johnny suggested.

“Yes, and shake them down to Gran’ma and Gran’pa! No, Johnny, that will never do!”

“Then you cross the Vine Bridge, Sis, and I’ll show you what we’ll do! Hurry now, before it’s too late!”

Janey ran across the Vine Bridge, and when she had reached the other side Johnny drew his knife from his pocket and hacked at the vines. The small, sharp blade soon cut them in two. He was none too quick, for just as he severed the last strand of the Vine Bridge the Leader of the Wolves sprang toward Johnny.

As the Vine Bridge fell Johnny jumped and caught the loose end and went swinging across the chasm at a dizzy speed. He managed to hold on, even if he did get quite a bump when the Vine Bridge struck on the other side.

When the Leader of the Wolves jumped and missed Johnny, he flew headlong over the cliff. Gran’pa was watching the children, but when he saw the Wolf light upon the Rubber River he braced himself and brought his stout cane down upon the Wolf’s head with such force it did not move a muscle when it had ceased bouncing.

Gran’ma, thinking the whole pack of Wolves would follow their Leader, ran to the side of the Rubber River and disappeared in a hole in the cliff.

Gran’pa followed her, and it was well he did, for as soon as Gran’ma and he started to run the Wolves jumped over the cliff to the Rubber River.

By the time the Wolves had quit bouncing Gran’pa was in the hole beside Gran’ma, and together they had rolled a large stone across the opening so the Wolves could not follow.

As for Johnny, he swung to the other side of the canyon, climbed up the Vine Bridge and finally reached the top where Janey was sitting waiting for him.

“Oh Johnny,” she cried, “the Wolves jumped over the cliff after Gran’ma and Gran’pa! Look and see if you can see them anywhere.”

Johnny had been so busy climbing he had known nothing of what had happened below.

Now he went to the edge and looked over. The Wolves were all at one spot on the cliff.

“Oh dear!” he cried. “They probably have caught Gran’ma and Gran’pa!”

At this Janey came to the edge and looked. She watched the pack closely for a few moments.

“No, they have not! See! The Wolves are tearing and digging at that big stone. Gran’ma and Gran’pa must be behind the stone! There must be a cave there!”

Johnny caught his sister by the shoulder and drew her hastily away from the edge of the cliff and into the bushes.

“Old Jingles in the Flying Boat!” he whispered. “I just saw a speck in the distance, coming this way!”

So the children, crouching low, ran away through the ferns and bushes.