ed a line, holding hands, and turning their faces toward
Mount Munch resumed their journey. They had not gone far, however, when
a terrible growl saluted their ears. The sound seemed to come from a
place just in front of them, so they halted abruptly and remained
silent, listening with all their ears.

"I smell straw!" cried a hoarse, harsh voice, with more growls and
snarls. "I smell straw, and I'm a Hip-po-gy-raf who loves straw and eats
all he can find. I want to eat _this_ straw! Where is it? Where is it?"

The Scarecrow, hearing this, trembled but kept silent. All the others
were silent, too, hoping that the invisible beast would be unable to
find them. But the creature sniffed the odor of the straw and drew
nearer and nearer to them until he reached the Tin Woodman, on one end
of the line. It was a big beast and it smelled of the Tin Woodman and
grated two rows of enormous teeth against the Emperor's tin body.

"Bah! that's not straw," said the harsh voice, and the beast advanced
along the line to Woot.

"Meat! Pooh, you're no good! I can't eat meat," grumbled the beast, and
passed on to Polychrome.

"Sweetmeats and perfume--cobwebs and dew! Nothing to eat in a fairy like
you," said the creature.

Now, the Scarecrow was next to Polychrome in the line, and he realized
if the beast devoured his straw he would be helpless for a long time,
because the last farmhouse was far behind them and only grass covered
the vast expanse of plain. So in his fright he let go of Polychrome's
hand and put the hand of the Tin Soldier in that of the Rainbow's
Daughter. Then he slipped back of the line and went to the other end,
where he silently seized the Tin Woodman's hand.

Meantime, the beast had smelled the Tin Soldier and found he was the
last of the line.

"That's funny!" growled the Hip-po-gy-raf; "I can smell straw, but I
can't find it. Well, it's here, somewhere, and I must hunt around until
I _do_ find it, for I'm hungry."

His voice was now at the left of them, so they started on, hoping to
avoid him, and traveled as fast as they could in the direction of Mount
Munch.

"I don't like this invisible country," said Woot with a shudder. "We
can't tell how many dreadful, invisible beasts are roaming around us, or
what danger we'll come to next."

"Quit thinking about danger, please," said the Scarecrow, warningly.

"Why?" asked the boy.

"If you think of some dreadful thing, it's liable to happen, but if you
don