It was a beautiful evening,
so they drew their camp chairs
in a circle before one of the
tents and began to tell stories
to amuse themselves and pass
away the time before they went
to bed.
Pretty soon a zebra was seen
coming out of the forest, and
he trotted straight up to them
and said politely:
"Good evening,
people."
The zebra was a sleek little
animal and had a slender head,
a stubby mane and a paint-brush
tail--very like a donkey's. His
neatly shaped white body was
covered with regular bars of
dark brown, and his hoofs were
delicate as those of a deer.
"Good evening, friend Zebra," said
Omby Amby, in reply to the creature's
greeting. "Can we do anything
for you?"
"Yes," answered the zebra. "I
should like you to settle a dispute
that has long been a bother to
me, as to whether there is more
water or land in 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 go to drink every day,
and he is a very impertinent
crab, I assure you. I have told
him many times that the land
is much greater in extent than
the water, but he will not be
convinced. Even this very evening,
when I told him he was an insignificant
creature who lived in a small
pool, he asserted that the water
was greater and more important
than the land. So, seeing your
camp, I decided to ask you to
settle the dispute for once 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 between us 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 to them. When he drew near
they found a soft-shell crab
clinging fast to the 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 you about; and they know
more than you do, who lives in
a pool, and more than I do, who
lives in a forest. For they have
been travelers all over the world,
and know every part of it."
"There is more of the world
than Oz," declared the crab,
in a stubborn voice.
"That is true," said Dorothy; "but
I used to live in Kansas, in
the United States, and I've been
to California and to Australia
and so has Uncle Henry."
"For my part," added the Shaggy
Man, "I've been to Mexico and
Boston and many 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 people of 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 will probably think
you are a lobster instead of
a crab," retorted the animal.
At this taunt the crab reached
out its other claw and seized
the zebra's ear, 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 would carry you here!"
"And you promised to treat
me respectfully," said the crab,
letting go the 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
poor friend, because he is ignorant
and stupid, and does not understand.
Also the pinch of his claw is
very annoying. So pray tell him
that the world contains more
land than water, and when he
has heard your judgment I will
carry him back and dump him into
his pool, where I hope he will
be more modest in the future."
"But we cannot tell him that," said
Dorothy, gravely, "because it
would not be true."
"What!" exclaimed the zebra,
in astonishment; "do I hear you
aright?"
"The soft-shell crab is correct," declared
the Wizard. "There is considerably
more water than there is land
in the world."
"Impossible!" protested the
zebra. "Why, I can run for days
upon the land, 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 the Land of Oz."
"Well, there are several oceans
in the world," said Dorothy, "and
people sail in ships upon these
oceans for weeks and weeks, and
never see a bit of land at all.
And the joggerfys will tell you
that all the oceans put together
are bigger than all the land
put together."
At this the crab began laughing
in queer chuckles that reminded
Dorothy of the way Billina sometimes
cackled.
"NOW will you give up, Mr.
Zebra?" it cried, jeeringly; "now
will you give 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 tried to shake the little
creature off. This resulted in
more ear-pinching, and finally
Dorothy told them that if they
could not behave they must go
back 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 quite enjoyed the dispute;
but now I can never drink at
that pool again without the soft-shell
crab laughing at me. So I must
find another drinking place."
"Do! Do, you ignoramus!" shouted
the crab, as loudly as his little
voice would carry. "Rile some
other pool with your clumsy hoofs,
and let your 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 getting dark the travelers
said good night to one another
and went to bed.
Dorothy awoke just as the light
was beginning to get strong next
morning, and not caring to sleep
any later she quietly got out
of bed, dressed herself, and
left the tent where Aunt Em was
yet peacefully slumbering.
Outside she noticed Billina
busily pecking around to secure
bugs or other food for breakfast,
but none of the men in the other
tent seemed awake. So the little
girl decided to take a walk in
the woods and try to discover
some path or road that they might
follow when they again started
upon their journey.
She had reached the edge of
the forest when the Yellow Hen
came fluttering along and asked
where she was going.
"Just to take a walk, Billina;
and maybe I'll find some path," said
Dorothy.
"Then I'll go along," decided
Billina, and scarcely had she
spoken when Toto ran up and joined
them.
Toto and the Yellow Hen had
become quite friendly by this
time, although at first they
did not get along well together.
Billina had been rather suspicious
of dogs, and Toto had had an
idea that it was every dog's
duty to chase a hen on sight.
But Dorothy had talked to them
and scolded them for not being
agreeable to one another until
they grew better acquainted and
became friends.
I won't say they loved each
other dearly, but at least they
had stopped quarreling and now
managed to get on together very
well.
The day was growing lighter
every minute and driving the
black shadows out of the forest;
so Dorothy found it very pleasant
walking under the trees. 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
here and there among the trees
and peering through the bushes
in an endeavor to 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 this
way."
She had probably made a mistake
about that, for after they had
gone far enough to have reached
the camp they still found themselves
in the thick of 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 wagged
his tail as if he knew something
was wrong. He couldn't tell much
about direction himself, because
he had spent his time prowling
among the bushes and running
here and there; nor had Billina
paid much attention to where
they were going, being interested
in picking bugs from the moss
as they passed along. The Yellow
Hen now turned one eye up toward
the little 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
get lost, 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's
go in that direction," pointing
a finger at random. "It may be
we'll get out of the forest over
there."
So on they went again, but
this way the trees were closer
together, and the vines were
so tangled that often they tripped
Dorothy up.
Suddenly a voice cried sharply:
"Halt!"
At first, Dorothy could see
nothing, although she looked
around very carefully. But Billina
exclaimed:
"Well, I declare!"
"What is it?" asked
the little girl: for Toto began
barking
at something, and following his
gaze she discovered what it was.
A row of spoons had surrounded
the three, and these spoons stood
straight up on their handles
and carried swords and muskets.
Their faces were outlined in
the polished bowls and they looked
very stern and severe.
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 twinkling with amusement.
"What would happen," she inquired, "if
I should set my dog on your Brigade?"
"He would die," replied one
of the spoons, sharply. "One
shot from our deadly muskets
would kill him, big as he is."
"Don't risk it, Dorothy," advised
the Yellow Hen. "Remember this
is a fairy 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,
to be captured by a lot of spoons!"
"I do not see anything very
funny about it," declared a spoon. "We're
the 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. Tell me,
are you not subjects of Ozma
of Oz?"
"We have never heard of her," retorted
a spoon. "We are subjects of
King Kleaver, and obey only his
orders, which are to bring all
prisoners to him as soon as they
are captured. So step lively,
my girl, and march with us, or
we may be tempted to cut off
a few of your toes with our swords."
This threat made Dorothy laugh
again. She did not believe she
was in any danger; but here was
a new and interesting adventure,
so she was willing to be taken
to Utensia that she might see
what King Kleaver's kingdom was
like.
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