Free L. Frank Baum_Oz 12 by The Tin Woodman of Oz

over
his head, and through it the sunlight streamed full upon the Green
Monkey.
    The Dragons paused, astonished at the magic and blinking at the
sunlight, and this gave Woot time to climb through the opening. As soon
as he reached the surface of the earth the hole closed again, and the
boy monkey realized, with a thrill of joy, that he had seen the last of
the dangerous Dragon family.
    He sat upon the ground, still panting hard from his exertions, when the
bushes before him parted and his former enemy, the Jaguar, appeared.
    "Don't run," said the woodland beast, as Woot sprang up; "you are
perfectly safe, so far as I am concerned, for since you so mysteriously
disappeared I have had my breakfast. I am now on my way home to sleep
the rest of the day."
    "Oh, indeed!" returned the Green Monkey, in a tone both sorry and
startled. "Which of my friends did you manage to eat?"
    "None of them," returned the Jaguar, with a sly grin "I had a dish of
magic scrambled eggs—on toast—and it wasn't a bad feast, at all.
There isn't room in me for even you, and I don't regret it because I
judge, from your green color, that you are not ripe, and would make an
indifferent meal. We jaguars have to be careful of our digestions.
Farewell, Friend Monkey. Follow the path I made through the bushes and
you will find your friends."
    With this the Jaguar marched on his way and Woot took his advice and
followed the trail he had made until he came to the place where the
little Brown Bear, and the Tin Owl, and the Canary were conferring
together and wondering what had become of their comrade, the Green
Monkey.

Chapter Ten - Tommy Kwikstep
*
    "Our best plan," said the Scarecrow Bear, when the Green Monkey had
related the story of his adventure with the Dragons, "is to get out of
this Gillikin Country as soon as we can and try to find our way to the
castle of Glinda, the Good Sorceress. There are too many dangers
lurking here to suit me, and Glinda may be able to restore us to our
proper forms."
    "If we turn south now," the Tin Owl replied, "we might go straight into
the Emerald City. That's a place I wish to avoid, for I'd hate to have
my friends see me in this sad plight," and he blinked his eyes and
fluttered his tin wings mournfully.
    "But I am certain we have passed beyond Emerald City," the Canary
assured him, sailing lightly around their heads. "So, should we turn
south from here, we would pass into the Munchkin Country, and
continuing south we would reach the Quadling Country where Glinda's
castle is located."
    "Well, since you're sure of that, let's start right away," proposed the
Bear. "It's a long journey, at the best, and I'm getting tired of
walking on four legs."
    "I thought you never tired, being stuffed with straw," said Woot.
    "I mean that it annoys me, to be obliged to go on all fours, when two
legs are my proper walking equipment," replied the Scarecrow. "I
consider it beneath my dignity. In other words, my remarkable brains
can tire, through humiliation, although my body cannot tire."
    "That is one of the penalties of having brains," remarked the Tin Owl
with a sigh. "I have had no brains since I was a man of meat, and so I
never worry. Nevertheless, I prefer my former manly form to this owl's
shape and would be glad to break Mrs. Yoop's enchantment as soon as
possible. I am so noisy, just now, that I disturb myself," and he
fluttered his wings with a clatter that echoed throughout the forest.
    So, being all of one mind, they turned southward, traveling steadily on
until the woods were left behind and the landscape turned from purple
tints to blue tints, which assured them they had entered the Country of
the Munchkins.
    "Now I feel myself more safe," said the Scarecrow Bear. "I know this
country pretty well, having been made here by a Munchkin farmer and
having wandered over these lovely blue lands many times. Seems to me,
indeed, that I even remember that group of three tall trees ahead of
us; and, if I do, we are not far from the