ey
could scramble to their feet again. When they did so they turned to
look toward the Giant's cave, and at that moment the ferocious Mister
Yoop threw the Patchwork Girl at them.

Down went all three again, in a heap, with Scraps on top. The Giant
roared so terribly that for a time they were afraid he had broken
loose; but he hadn't. So they sat in the road and looked at one another
in a rather bewildered way, and then began to feel glad.

"We did it!" exclaimed the Scarecrow, with satisfaction. "And now we
are free to go on our way."

"Mister Yoop is very impolite," declared Scraps. "He jarred me
terribly. It's lucky my stitches are so fine and strong, for otherwise
such harsh treatment might rip me up the back."

"Allow me to apologize for the Giant," said the Scarecrow, raising the
Patchwork Girl to her feet and dusting her skirt with his stuffed
hands. "Mister Yoop is a perfect stranger to me, but I fear, from the
rude manner in which he has acted, that he is no gentleman."

Dorothy and Ojo laughed at this statement and Toto barked as if he
understood the joke, after which they all felt better and resumed the
journey in high spirits.

"Of course," said the little girl, when they had walked a way along the
passage, "it was lucky for us the Giant was caged; for, if he had
happened to be loose, he--he--"

"Perhaps, in that case, he wouldn't be hungry any more," said Ojo
gravely.

Chapter Twenty-One

Hip Hopper the Champion

They must have had good courage to climb all those rocks, for after
getting out of the canyon they encountered more rock hills to be
surmounted. Toto could jump from one rock to another quite easily, but
the others had to creep and climb with care, so that after a whole day
of such work Dorothy and Ojo found themselves very tired.

As they gazed upward at the great mass of tumbled rocks that covered
the steep incline, Dorothy gave a little groan and said:

"That's going to be a ter'ble hard climb, Scarecrow. I wish we could
find the dark well without so much trouble."

"Suppose," said Ojo, "you wait here and let me do the climbing, for
it's on my account we're searching for the dark well. Then, if I don't
find anything, I'll come back and join you."

"No," replied the little girl, shaking her head positively, "we'll all
go together, for that way we can help each other. If you went alone,
something might happen to you, Ojo."

So they began the climb and found it indeed di