"Well, if friend Nick can manufacture, from this mess of rubbish, a Thing that will fly through the air and carry us to safety, then I will acknowledge him to be a better mechanic than I suspected."
But the Tin Woodman seemed at first by no means sure of his powers, and only after polishing his forehead vigorously with the chamois-leather did he resolve to undertake the task.
"The first thing required for the machine," said he, "is a body big enough to carry the entire party. This sofa is the biggest thing we have, and might be used for a body. But, should the machine ever tip sideways, we would all slide off and fall to the ground."
"Why not use two sofas?" asked Tip. "There's another one just like this down stairs."
"That is a very sensible suggestion," exclaimed the Tin Woodman. "You must fetch the other sofa at once."
So Tip and the Saw-Horse managed, with much labor, to get the second sofa to the roof; and when the two were placed together, edge to edge, the backs and ends formed a protecting rampart all around the seats.
"Excellent!" cried the Scarecrow. "We can ride within this snug nest quite at our ease."
The two sofas were now bound firmly together with ropes and clotheslines, and then Nick Chopper fastened the Gump's head to one end.
"That will show which is the front end of the Thing," said he, greatly pleased with the idea. "And, really, if you examine it critically, the Gump looks very well as a figure-head. These great palm-leaves, for which I have endangered my life seven times, must serve us as wings."