The Braided Man of Pyramid Mountain
The mountain before them was shaped like a cone and was so tall that its point was lost in the clouds. Directly facing the place where Jim had stopped was an arched opening leading to a broad stairway. The stairs were cut in the rock inside the mountain, and they were broad and not very steep, because they circled around like a corkscrew, and at the arched opening where the flight began the circle was quite big. At the foot of the stairs was a sign reading:
Warning
.
These steps lead to the
Land of the Gargoyles.
Danger! Keep Out
.
Warning . These steps lead to the Land of the Gargoyles. Danger! Keep Out .
“I wonder how Jim is ever going to draw the buggy up so many stairs,” said Dorothy, gravely.
“No trouble at all,” declared the horse, with a contemptuous neigh. “Still, I don’t care to drag any passengers. You’ll all have to walk.”
“Suppose the stairs get steeper?” suggested Zeb, doubtfully.
“Then you’ll have to boost the buggy-wheels, that’s all,” answered Jim.
“We’ll try it, anyway,” said the Wizard. “It’s the only way to get out of the Valley of Voe.”
So they began to ascend the stairs, Dorothy and the Wizard first, Jim next, drawing the buggy, and then Zeb to watch that nothing happened to the harness.
They wound about, always going upward, for some time. The lights from the lanterns dimly showed the way, but it was a gloomy journey, and they were pleased when a broad streak of light ahead assured them they were coming to a second landing.
“Are they real?” asked Zeb, in an awed voice.