"and I can't explain why I happened to speak then.
This is a nice scrape you've got me into, isn't it?"

"As for that, we are in the same scrape ourselves," answered Dorothy,
cheerfully. "But never mind; something will happen pretty soon."

"Of course," growled the horse, "and then we shall be sorry it
happened."

Zeb gave a shiver. All this was so terrible and unreal that he could
not understand it at all, and so had good reason to be afraid.

Swiftly they drew near to the flaming colored suns, and passed close
beside them. The light was then so bright that it dazzled their eyes,
and they covered their faces with their hands to escape being blinded.
There was no heat in the colored suns, however, and after they had
passed below them the top of the buggy shut out many of the piercing
rays so that the boy and girl could open their eyes again.

"We've got to come to the bottom some time," remarked Zeb, with a deep
sigh. "We can't keep falling forever, you know."

"Of course not," said Dorothy. "We are somewhere in the middle of the
earth, and the chances are we'll reach the other side of it before
long. But it's a big hollow, isn't it?"

"Awful big!" answered the boy.

"We're coming to something now," announced the horse.

At this they both put their heads over the side of the buggy and looked
down. Yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away,
either. But they were floating very, very slowly--so slowly that it
could no longer be called a fall--and the children had ample time to
take heart and look about them.

They saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very
like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly
colored by the variegated lights from the six suns. Here and there
were groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they
sparkled so brightly.

"I'm sure we are in no danger," said Dorothy, in a sober voice. "We
are falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land,
and this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty."

"We'll never get home again, though!" declared Zeb, with a groan.

"Oh, I'm not so sure of that," replied the girl. "But don't let us
worry over such things, Zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you
know, and I've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble."

The boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and
soon both were fully occupied in staring at the strange