e dishes they had a
moment before left upon the table, she found them all washed and dried
and piled up into neat stacks.

15. How Dorothy Happened to Get Lost

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; "b