Princess sits shall be named the winner. Are you ready?"

"I suppose I ought to give the wooden dummy a good start of me,"
growled Jim.

"Never mind that," said the Sawhorse. "I'll do the best I can."

"Go!" cried Zeb; and at the word the two horses leaped forward and the
race was begun.

Jim's big hoofs pounded away at a great rate, and although he did not
look very graceful he ran in a way to do credit to his Kentucky
breeding. But the Sawhorse was swifter than the wind. Its wooden legs
moved so fast that their twinkling could scarcely be seen, and although
so much smaller than the cab-horse it covered the ground much faster.
Before they had reached the trees the Sawhorse was far ahead, and the
wooden animal returned to the starting place as was being lustily
cheered by the Ozites before Jim came panting up to the canopy where
the Princess and her friends were seated.

I am sorry to record the fact that Jim was not only ashamed of his
defeat but for a moment lost control of his temper. As he looked at
the comical face of the Sawhorse he imagined that the creature was
laughing at him; so in a fit of unreasonable anger he turned around and
made a vicious kick that sent his rival tumbling head over heels upon
the ground, and broke off one of its legs and its left ear.

An instant later the Tiger crouched and launched its huge body through
the air swift and resistless as a ball from a cannon. The beast struck
Jim full on his shoulder and sent the astonished cab-horse rolling over
and over, amid shouts of delight from the spectators, who had been
horrified by the ungracious act he had been guilty of.

When Jim came to himself and sat upon his haunches he found the
Cowardly Lion crouched on one side of him and the Hungry Tiger on the
other, and their eyes were glowing like balls of fire.

"I beg your pardon, I'm sure," said Jim, meekly. "I was wrong to kick
the Sawhorse, and I am sorry I became angry at him. He has won the
race, and won it fairly; but what can a horse of flesh do against a
tireless beast of wood?"

Hearing this apology the Tiger and the Lion stopped lashing their tails
and retreated with dignified steps to the side of the Princess.

"No one must injure one of our friends in our presence," growled the
Lion; and Zeb ran to Jim and whispered that unless he controlled his
temper in the future he would probably be torn to pieces.

Then the Tin Woodman cut a straight and strong limb from a tre