ve himself up for lost, at that moment, but he scrambled
to his feet and dashed away to the farthest end of the cave, the Dragons
following more leisurely because they were too clumsy to move fast.
Perhaps they thought there was no need of haste, as the monkey could not
escape from the cave. But, away up at the end of the place, the cavern
floor was heaped with tumbled rocks, so Woot, with an agility born of
fear, climbed from rock to rock until he found himself crouched against
the cavern roof. There he waited, for he could go no farther, while on
over the tumbled rocks slowly crept the Dragons--the littlest one
coming first because he was hungry as well as angry.

The beasts had almost reached him when Woot, remembering his lace
apron--now sadly torn and soiled--recovered his wits and shouted:
"Open!" At the cry a hole appeared in the roof of the cavern, just over
his head, and through it the sunlight streamed full upon the Green
Monkey.

The Dragons paused, astonished at the magic and blinking at the
sunlight, and this gave Woot time to climb through the opening. As soon
as he reached the surface of the earth the hole closed again, and the
boy monkey realized, with a thrill of joy, that he had seen the last of
the dangerous Dragon family.

He sat upon the ground, still panting hard from his exertions, when the
bushes before him parted and his former enemy, the Jaguar, appeared.

"Don't run," said the woodland beast, as Woot sprang up; "you are
perfectly safe, so far as I am concerned, for since you so mysteriously
disappeared I have had my breakfast. I am now on my way home, to sleep
the rest of the day."

"Oh, indeed!" returned the Green Monkey, in a tone both sorry and
startled. "Which of my friends did you manage to eat?"

"None of them," returned the Jaguar, with a sly grin. "I had a dish of
magic scrambled eggs--on toast--and it wasn't a bad feast, at all. There
isn't room in me for even you, and I don't regret it because I judge,
from your green color, that you are not ripe, and would make an
indifferent meal. We jaguars have to be careful of our digestions.
Farewell, Friend Monkey. Follow the path I made through the bushes and
you will find your friends."

With this the Jaguar marched on his way and Woot took his advice and
followed the trail he had made until he came to the place where the
little Brown Bear, and the Tin Owl, and the Canary were conferring
together and wondering what had become of thei