第21章 They Meet the Woozy(3)

"Come on, then," said the boy, picking up his basket; "let us start at once.I have several other things to find, you know."But the Class Cat gave a little laugh and inquired in her scornful way:

"How do you intend to get the beast out of this forest?"That puzzled them all for a time.

"Let us go to the fence, and then we may find a way," suggested Scraps.So they walked through the forest to the fence, reaching it at a point exactly opposite that where they had entered the enclosure.

"How did you get in?" asked the Woozy.

"We climbed over," answered Ojo.

"I can't do that," said the beast."I'm a very swift runner, for I can overtake a honey-bee as it flies; and I can jump very high, which is the reason they made such a tall fence to keep me in.But I can't climb at all, and I'm too big to squeeze between the bars of the fence."Ojo tried to think what to do.

"Can you dig?" he asked.

"No," answered the Woozy, "for I have no claws.My feet are quite flat on the bottom of them.Nor can I gnaw away the boards, as Ihave no teeth."

"You're not such a terrible creature, after all,"remarked Scraps.

"You haven't heard me growl, or you wouldn't say that," declared the Woozy."When I growl, the sound echoes like thunder all through the valleys and woodlands, and children tremble with fear, and women cover their heads with their aprons, and big men run and hide.I suppose there is nothing in the world so terrible to listen to as the growl of a Woosy.""Please don't growl, then," begged Ojo, earnestly.

"There is no danger of my growling, for I am not angry.Only when angry do I utter my fearful, ear-splitting, soul-shuddering growl.

Also, when I am angry, my eyes flash fire, whether I growl or not.""Real fire?" asked Ojo.

"Of course, real fire.Do you suppose they'd flash imitation fire?" inquired the Woozy, in an injured tone.

"In that case, I've solved the riddle," cried Scraps, dancing with glee."Those fence-boards are made of wood, and if the Woozy stands close to the fence and lets his eyes flash fire, they might set fire to the fence and burn it up.

Then he could walk away with us easily, being free.""Ah, I have never thought of that plan, or Iwould have been free long ago," said the Woozy.

"But I cannot flash fire from my eyes unless I am very angry.""Can't you get angry 'bout something, please?"asked Ojo.

"I'll try.You just say 'Krizzle-Kroo' to me.""Will that make you angry?" inquired the boy~.

"Terribly angry."

"What does it mean?" asked Scraps.

"I don't know; that's what makes me so angry,"re-plied the Woozy.

He then stood close to the fence, with his head near one of the boards, and Scraps called out "Krizzle-Kroo!" Then Ojo said "Krizzle-Kroo!"and the Glass Cat said "Krizzle-Kroo!" The Woozy began to tremble with anger and small sparks darted from his eyes.Seeing this, they all cried "Krizzle-Kroo!" together, and that made the beast's eyes flash fire so fiercely that the fence-board caught the sparks and began to smoke.

Then it burst into flame, and the Woozy stepped back and said triumphantly:

"Aha! That did the business, all right.It was a happy thought for you to yell all together, for that made me as angry as I have ever been.

Fine sparks, weren't they?"

"Reg'lar fireworks," replied Scraps, admiringly.

In a few moments the board had burned to a distance of several feet, leaving an opening big enough for them all to pass through.Ojo broke some branches from a tree and with them whipped the fire until it was extinguished.

"We don't want to burn the whole fence down," said he, "for the flames would attract the attention of the Munchkin farmers, who would then come and capture the Woozy again.

I guess they'll be rather surprised when they find he's escaped.""So they will," declared the Woozy, chuckling gleefully."When they find I'm gone the farmers will be badly scared, for they'll expect me to eat up their honey-bees, as I did before.""That reminds me," said the boy, "that you must promise not to eat honey-bees while you are in our company.""None at all?"

"Not a bee.You would get us all into trouble, and we can't afford to have any more trouble than is necessary.I'll feed you all the bread and cheese you want, and that must satisfy you.""All right; I'll promise," said the Woozy, cheerfully."And when I promise anything you can depend on it, 'cause I'm square.""I don't see what difference that makes,"observed the Patchwork Girl, as they found the path and continued their journey."The shape doesn't make a thing honest, does it?""Of course it does," returned the Woozy, very decidedly."No one could trust that Crooked Magician, for instance, just because he is crooked; but a square Woozy couldn't do anything crooked if he wanted to.""I am neither square nor crooked," said Scraps, looking down at her plump body.

"No; you're round, so you're liable to do anything," asserted the Woozy."Do not blame me, Miss Gorgeous, if I regard you with suspicion.

Many a satin ribbon has a cotton back."

Scraps didn't understand this, but she had an uneasy misgiving that she had a cotton back herself.It would settle down, at times, and make her squat and dumpy, and then she had to roll herself in the road until her body stretched out again.