so wild
and secluded that many queer peoples hid in its jungles and lived in
their own way, without even a knowledge that they had a Ruler in the
Emerald City. If they were left alone, these creatures never troubled
the inhabitants of the rest of Oz, but those who invaded their domains
encountered many dangers from them.

It was a two days' journey from Jack Pumpkinhead's house to the edge of
the Quadling Country, for neither Dorothy nor Ojo could walk very fast
and they often stopped by the wayside to rest. The first night they
slept on the broad fields, among the buttercups and daisies, and the
Scarecrow covered the children with a gauze blanket taken from his
knapsack, so they would not be chilled by the night air. Toward evening
of the second day they reached a sandy plain where walking was
difficult; but some distance before them they saw a group of palm trees,
with many curious black dots under them; so they trudged bravely on to
reach that place by dark and spend the night under the shelter of the
trees.

[Illustration]

The black dots grew larger as they advanced and although the light was
dim Dorothy thought they looked like big kettles turned upside down.
Just beyond this place a jumble of huge, jagged rocks lay scattered,
rising to the mountains behind them.

Our travelers preferred to attempt to climb these rocks by daylight, and
they realized that for a time this would be their last night on the
plains.

[Illustration]

Twilight had fallen by the time they came to the trees, beneath
which were the black, circular objects they had marked from a
distance. Dozens of them were scattered around and Dorothy bent near
to one, which was about as tall as she was, to examine it more
closely. As she did so the top flew open and out popped a small
creature, rising its length into the air and then plumping down upon
the ground just beside the little girl. Another and another popped
out of the circular, pot-like dwelling, while from all the other
black objects came popping more creatures--very like jumping-jacks
when their boxes are unhooked--until fully a hundred stood gathered
around our little group of travelers.

By this time Dorothy had discovered they were people, tiny and curiously
formed, but still people. Their hair stood straight up, like wires, and
was brilliant scarlet in color. Their bodies were bare except for skins
fastened around their waists and they wore bracelets on their ankles and
wrists,