and fluttering banners far to
the left of them.

"We must have lost our way," suggested Dorothy.

"Nonsense," said the Lion.

"I, and all the other animals, have been tramping straight toward the
city ever since we first saw it."

"Then how does it happen--"

"Never mind," interrupted the Wizard, "we are no farther from it than
we were before. It is in a different direction, that's all, so let us
hurry and get there before it again escapes us."

So on they went directly toward the city, which seemed only a couple of
miles distant. But when they had traveled less than a mile, it
suddenly disappeared again. Once more they paused, somewhat
discouraged, but in a moment the button eyes of Scraps again discovered
the city, only this time it was just behind them in the direction from
which they had come. "Goodness gracious!" cried Dorothy. "There's
surely something wrong with that city. Do you s'pose it's on wheels,
Wizard?"

"It may not be a city at all," he replied, looking toward it with a
speculative glance.

"What COULD it be, then?"

"Just an illusion."

"What's that?" asked Trot.

"Something you think you see and don't see."

"I can't believe that," said Button-Bright. "If we only saw it, we
might be mistaken, but if we can see it and hear it, too, it must be
there."

"Where?" asked the Patchwork Girl.

"Somewhere near us," he insisted.

"We will have to go back, I suppose," said the Woozy with a sigh.

So back they turned and headed for the walled city until it disappeared
again, only to reappear at the right of them. They were constantly
getting nearer to it, however, so they kept their faces turned toward
it as it flitted here and there to all points of the compass.
Presently the Lion, who was leading the procession, halted abruptly and
cried out, "Ouch!"

"What's the matter?" asked Dorothy.

"Ouch--Ouch!" repeated the Lion, and leaped backward so suddenly that
Dorothy nearly tumbled from his back. At the same time Hank the Mule
yelled "Ouch!"

"Ouch! Ouch!" repeated the Lion and leaped backward so suddenly that
Dorothy nearly tumbled from his back. At the same time, Hank the Mule
yelled "Ouch!" almost as loudly as the Lion had done, and he also
pranced backward a few paces.

"It's the thistles," said Betsy. "They prick their legs."

Hearing this, all looked down, and sure enough the ground was thick
with thistles, which covered the plain from the point where they stood
way u