_How_ DOROTHY HAPPENED TO GET LOST
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It was a beautiful evening, so they drew their camp chairs in a circlebefore one of the tents and began to tell stories to amuse themselvesand pass away the time before they went to bed.
Pretty soon a zebra was seen coming out of the forest, and he trottedstraight up to them and said politely:
"Good evening, people."
The zebra was a sleek little animal and had a slender head, a stubbymane and a paint-brush tail--very like a donkey's. His neatly shapedwhite body was covered with regular bars of dark brown, and his hoofswere delicate as those of a deer.
"Good evening, friend Zebra," said Omby Amby, in reply to the creature'sgreeting. "Can we do anything for you?"
"Yes," answered the zebra. "I should like you to settle a dispute thathas long been a bother to me, as to whether there is more water or landin the world."
"Who are you disputing with?" asked the Wizard.
"With a soft-shell crab," said the zebra. "He lives in a pool where I goto drink every day, and he is a very impertinent crab, I assure you. Ihave told him many times that the land is much greater in extent thanthe water, but he will not be convinced. Even this very evening, when Itold him he was an insignificant creature who lived in a small pool, heasserted that the water was greater and more important than the land.So, seeing your camp, I decided to ask you to settle the dispute foronce and all, that I may not be further annoyed by this ignorant crab."
When they had listened to this explanation Dorothy inquired:
"Where is the soft-shell crab?"
"Not far away," replied the zebra. "If you will agree to judge betweenus I will run and get him."
"Run along, then," said the little girl.
So the animal pranced into the forest and soon came trotting back tothem. When he drew near they found a soft-shell crab clinging fast tothe stiff hair of the zebra's head, where it held on by one claw.
"Now then, Mr. Crab," said the zebra, "here are the people I told youabout; and they know more than you do, who live in a pool, and more thanI do, who live in a forest. For they have been travelers all over theworld, and know every part of it."
"There's more of the world than Oz," declared the crab, in a stubbornvoice.
"That is true," said Dorothy; "but I used to live in Kansas, in theUnited States, and I've been to California and to Australia--and so hasUncle Henry."
"For my part," added the Shaggy Man, "I've been to Mexico and Boston andmany other foreign countries."
"And I," said the Wizard, "have been to Europe and Ireland."
"So you see," continued the zebra, addressing the crab, "here are peopleof real consequence, who know what they are talking about."
"Then they know there's more water in the world than there is land,"asserted the crab, in a shrill, petulant voice.
"They know you are wrong to make such an absurd statement, and they willprobably think you are a lobster instead of a crab," retorted theanimal.
At this taunt the crab reached out its other claw and seized the zebra'sear, and the creature gave a cry of pain and began prancing up and down,trying to shake off the crab, which clung fast.
"Stop pinching!" cried the zebra. "You promised not to pinch if I wouldcarry you here!"
"And you promised to treat me respectfully," said the crab, letting gothe ear.
"Well, haven't I?" demanded the zebra.
"No; you called me a lobster," said the crab.
"Ladies and gentlemen," continued the zebra, "please pardon my poorfriend, because he is ignorant and stupid, and does not understand. Alsothe pinch of his claw is very annoying. So pray tell him that the worldcontains more land than water, and when he has heard your judgment Iwill carry him back and dump him into his pool, where I hope he will bemore modest in the future."
"But we cannot tell him that," said Dorothy, gravely, "because it wouldnot be true."
"What!" exclaimed the zebra, in astonishment; "do I hear you aright?"
"The soft-shell crab is correct," declared the Wizard. "There isconsiderably more water than there is land in the world."
"Impossible!" protested the zebra. "Why, I can run for days upon theland, and find but little water."
"Did you ever see an ocean?" asked Dorothy.
"Never," admitted the zebra. "There is no such thing as an ocean in theLand of Oz."
"Well, there are several oceans in the world," said Dorothy, "and peoplesail in ships upon these oceans for weeks and weeks, and never see a bitof land at all. And the joggerfys will tell you that all the oceans puttogether are bigger than all the land put together."
At this the crab began laughing in queer chuckles that reminded Dorothyof the way Billina sometimes cackled.
"_Now_ will you give up, Mr. Zebra?" it cried, jeeringly; "now will yougive up?"
The zebra seemed much humbled.
"Of course I cannot read geographys," he said.
"You could take one of the Wizard's School Pills," suggested Billina,"and that would make you learned and wise without studying."
The crab began laughing again, which so provoked the zebra that he triedto shake the little creature off. This resulted in more ear-pinching,and finally Dorothy told them that if they could not behave they must goback to the forest.
"I'm sorry I asked you to decide this question," said the zebra,crossly. "So long as neither of us could prove we were right we quiteenjoyed the dispute; but now I can never drink at that pool againwithout the soft-shell crab laughing at me. So I must find anotherdrinking place."
"Do! Do, you ignoramus!" shouted the crab, as loudly as his littlevoice would carry. "Rile some other pool with your clumsy hoofs, and letyour betters alone after this!"
Then the zebra trotted back to the forest, bearing the crab with him,and disappeared amid the gloom of the trees. And as it was now gettingdark the travelers said good night to one another and went to bed.
Dorothy awoke just as the light was beginning to get strong nextmorning, and not caring to sleep any later she quietly got out of bed,dressed herself, and left the tent where Aunt Em was yet peacefullyslumbering.
Outside she noticed Billina busily pecking around to secure bugs orother food for breakfast, but none of the men in the other tent seemedawake. So the little girl decided to take a walk in the woods and try todiscover some path or road that they might follow when they againstarted upon their journey.
She had reached the edge of the forest when the Yellow Hen camefluttering along and asked where she was going.
"Just to take a walk, Billina; and maybe I'll find some path," saidDorothy.
"Then I'll go along," decided Billina, and scarcely had she spoken whenToto ran up and joined them.
Toto and the Yellow Hen had become quite friendly by this time, althoughat first they did not get along well together. Billina had been rathersuspicious of dogs, and Toto had had an idea that it was every dog'sduty to chase a hen on sight. But Dorothy had talked to them and scoldedthem for not being agreeable to one another until they grew betteracquainted and became friends.
I won't say they loved each other dearly, but at least they had stoppedquarreling and now managed to get on together very well.
The day was growing lighter every minute and driving the black shadowsout of the forest; so Dorothy found it very pleasant walking under thetrees. She went some distance in one direction, but not finding a path,presently turned in a different direction. There was no path here,either, although she advanced quite a way into the forest, winding hereand there among the trees and peering through the bushes in an endeavorto find some beaten track.
"I think we'd better go back," suggested the Yellow Hen, after a time."The people will all be up by this time and breakfast will be ready."
"Very well," agreed Dorothy. "Let's see--the camp must be over thisway."
She had probably made a mistake about that, for after they had gone farenough to have reached the camp they still found themselves
in the thickof the woods. So the little girl stopped short and looked around her,and Toto glanced up into her face with his bright little eyes and waggedhis tail as if he knew something was wrong. He couldn't tell much aboutdirection himself, because he had spent his time prowling among thebushes and running here and there; nor had Billina paid much attentionto where they were going, being interested in picking bugs from the mossas they passed along. The Yellow Hen now turned one eye up toward thelittle girl and asked:
"Have you forgotten where the camp is, Dorothy?"
"Yes," she admitted; "have you, Billina?"
"I didn't try to remember," returned Billina. "I'd no idea you would getlost, Dorothy."
"It's the thing we don't expect, Billina, that usually happens,"observed the girl, thoughtfully. "But it's no use standing here. Let'sgo in that direction," pointing a finger at random. "It may be we'll getout of the forest over there."
So on they went again, but this way the trees were closer together, andthe vines were so tangled that often they tripped Dorothy up.
Suddenly a voice cried sharply:
"Halt!"
"HALT!"]
At first Dorothy could see nothing, although she looked around verycarefully. But Billina exclaimed:
"Well, I declare!"
"What is it?" asked the little girl: for Toto began barking atsomething, and following his gaze she discovered what it was.
A row of spoons had surrounded the three, and these spoons stoodstraight up on their handles and carried swords and muskets. Their faceswere outlined in the polished bowls and they looked very stern andsevere.
Dorothy laughed at the queer things.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"We're the Spoon Brigade," said one.
"In the service of his Majesty King Kleaver," said another.
"And you are our prisoners," said a third.
Dorothy sat down on an old stump and looked at them, her eyes twinklingwith amusement.
"What would happen," she inquired, "if I should set my dog on yourBrigade?"
"He would die," replied one of the spoons, sharply. "One shot from ourdeadly muskets would kill him, big as he is."
"Don't risk it, Dorothy," advised the Yellow Hen. "Remember this is afairy country, yet none of us three happens to be a fairy."
Dorothy grew sober at this.
"P'raps you're right, Billina," she answered. "But how funny it is, tobe captured by a lot of spoons!"
"I do not see anything very funny about it," declared a spoon. "We'rethe regular military brigade of the kingdom."
"What kingdom?" she asked.
"Utensia," said he.
"I never heard of it before," asserted Dorothy. Then she added,thoughtfully, "I don't believe Ozma ever heard of Utensia, either. Tellme, are you not subjects of Ozma of Oz?"
"We never have heard of her," retorted a spoon. "We are subjects of KingKleaver, and obey only his orders, which are to bring all prisoners tohim as soon as they are captured. So step lively, my girl, and marchwith us, or we may be tempted to cut off a few of your toes with ourswords."
This threat made Dorothy laugh again. She did not believe she was in anydanger; but here was a new and interesting adventure, so she was willingto be taken to Utensia that she might see what King Kleaver's kingdomwas like.
The Emerald City of Oz Page 16
