across that valley and into
the next one to the east of it.
This they found to be an immense hollow, shaped like a saucer, and on
its farther edge appeared the forest which Polychrome had seen from the
sky.
"Come to think of it," said the Tin Owl, waking up and blinking
comically at his friends, "there's no object, now, in our traveling to
the Munchkin Country. My idea in going there was to marry Nimmie Amee,
but however much the Munchkin girl may have loved a Tin Woodman, I
cannot reasonably expect her to marry a Tin Owl."
"There is some truth in that, my friend," remarked the Brown Bear. "And
to think that I, who was considered the handsomest Scarecrow in the
world, am now condemned to be a scrubby, no-account beast, whose only
redeeming feature is that he is stuffed with straw!"
"Consider my case, please," said Woot. "The cruel Giantess has made a
Monkey of a Boy, and that is the most dreadful deed of all!"
"Your color is rather pretty," said the Brown Bear, eyeing Woot
critically. "I have never seen a pea-green monkey before, and it
strikes me you are quite gorgeous."
"It isn't so bad to be a bird," asserted the Canary, fluttering from
one to another with a free and graceful motion, "but I long to enjoy my
own shape a gam."
"As Polychrome, you were the loveliest maiden I have ever seen—except,
of course, Ozma," said the Tin Owl; "so the Giantess did well to
transform you into the loveliest of all birds, if you were to be
transformed at all. But tell me, since you are a fairy, and have a
fairy wisdom: do you think we shall be able to break these
enchantments?"
"Queer things happen in the Land of Oz," replied the Canary, again
perching on the Green Monkey's shoulder and turning one bright eye
thoughtfully toward her questioner. "Mrs. Yoop has declared that none
of her transformations can ever be changed, even by herself, but I
believe that if we could get to Glinda the Good Sorceress, she might
find a way to restore us to our natural shapes. Glinda, as you know, is
the most powerful Sorceress in the world, and there are few things she
cannot do if she tries."
"In that case," said the Little Brown Bear, "let us return southward
and try to get to Glinda's castle. It lies in the Quadling Country, you
know, so it is a good way from here."
"First, however, let us visit the forest and search for something to
eat," pleaded Woot. So they continued on to the edge of the forest,
which consisted of many tall and beautiful trees. They discovered no
fruit trees, at first, so the Green Monkey pushed on into the forest
depths and the others followed close behind him.
They were traveling quietly along, under the shade of the trees, when
suddenly an enormous jaguar leaped upon them from a limb and with one
blow of his paw sent the little Brown Bear tumbling over and over until
he was stopped by a tree-trunk. Instantly they all took alarm. The Tin
Owl shrieked: "Hoot—hoot!" and flew straight up to the branch of a
tall tree, although he could scarcely see where he was going. The
Canary swiftly darted to a place beside the Owl, and the Green Monkey
sprang up, caught a limb, and soon scrambled to a high perch of safety.
The Jaguar crouched low and with hungry eyes regarded the little Brown
Bear, which slowly got upon its feet and asked reproachfully:
"For goodness' sake, Beast, what were you trying to do?"
"Trying to get my breakfast," answered the Jaguar with a snarl, "and I
believe I've succeeded. You ought to make a delicious meal—unless you
happen to be old and tough."
"I'm worse than that, considered as a breakfast," said the Bear, "for
I'm only a skin stuffed with straw, and therefore not fit to eat."
"Indeed!" cried the Jaguar, in a disappointed voice; "then you must be
a magic Bear, or enchanted, and I must seek my breakfast from among
your companions."
With this he raised his lean head to look up at the Tin Owl and the
Canary and the Monkey, and he lashed his tail upon the ground and
growled as fiercely as any
the next one to the east of it.
This they found to be an immense hollow, shaped like a saucer, and on
its farther edge appeared the forest which Polychrome had seen from the
sky.
"Come to think of it," said the Tin Owl, waking up and blinking
comically at his friends, "there's no object, now, in our traveling to
the Munchkin Country. My idea in going there was to marry Nimmie Amee,
but however much the Munchkin girl may have loved a Tin Woodman, I
cannot reasonably expect her to marry a Tin Owl."
"There is some truth in that, my friend," remarked the Brown Bear. "And
to think that I, who was considered the handsomest Scarecrow in the
world, am now condemned to be a scrubby, no-account beast, whose only
redeeming feature is that he is stuffed with straw!"
"Consider my case, please," said Woot. "The cruel Giantess has made a
Monkey of a Boy, and that is the most dreadful deed of all!"
"Your color is rather pretty," said the Brown Bear, eyeing Woot
critically. "I have never seen a pea-green monkey before, and it
strikes me you are quite gorgeous."
"It isn't so bad to be a bird," asserted the Canary, fluttering from
one to another with a free and graceful motion, "but I long to enjoy my
own shape a gam."
"As Polychrome, you were the loveliest maiden I have ever seen—except,
of course, Ozma," said the Tin Owl; "so the Giantess did well to
transform you into the loveliest of all birds, if you were to be
transformed at all. But tell me, since you are a fairy, and have a
fairy wisdom: do you think we shall be able to break these
enchantments?"
"Queer things happen in the Land of Oz," replied the Canary, again
perching on the Green Monkey's shoulder and turning one bright eye
thoughtfully toward her questioner. "Mrs. Yoop has declared that none
of her transformations can ever be changed, even by herself, but I
believe that if we could get to Glinda the Good Sorceress, she might
find a way to restore us to our natural shapes. Glinda, as you know, is
the most powerful Sorceress in the world, and there are few things she
cannot do if she tries."
"In that case," said the Little Brown Bear, "let us return southward
and try to get to Glinda's castle. It lies in the Quadling Country, you
know, so it is a good way from here."
"First, however, let us visit the forest and search for something to
eat," pleaded Woot. So they continued on to the edge of the forest,
which consisted of many tall and beautiful trees. They discovered no
fruit trees, at first, so the Green Monkey pushed on into the forest
depths and the others followed close behind him.
They were traveling quietly along, under the shade of the trees, when
suddenly an enormous jaguar leaped upon them from a limb and with one
blow of his paw sent the little Brown Bear tumbling over and over until
he was stopped by a tree-trunk. Instantly they all took alarm. The Tin
Owl shrieked: "Hoot—hoot!" and flew straight up to the branch of a
tall tree, although he could scarcely see where he was going. The
Canary swiftly darted to a place beside the Owl, and the Green Monkey
sprang up, caught a limb, and soon scrambled to a high perch of safety.
The Jaguar crouched low and with hungry eyes regarded the little Brown
Bear, which slowly got upon its feet and asked reproachfully:
"For goodness' sake, Beast, what were you trying to do?"
"Trying to get my breakfast," answered the Jaguar with a snarl, "and I
believe I've succeeded. You ought to make a delicious meal—unless you
happen to be old and tough."
"I'm worse than that, considered as a breakfast," said the Bear, "for
I'm only a skin stuffed with straw, and therefore not fit to eat."
"Indeed!" cried the Jaguar, in a disappointed voice; "then you must be
a magic Bear, or enchanted, and I must seek my breakfast from among
your companions."
With this he raised his lean head to look up at the Tin Owl and the
Canary and the Monkey, and he lashed his tail upon the ground and
growled as fiercely as any
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