第45章 Trouble with the Tottenhots (2)

"But--goodness me!--the Quadling Country is full of dangers," declared Jack."I've never been there myself, but--""I have," said the Scarecrow."I've faced the dreadful Hammerheads, which have no arms and butt you like a goat; and I've faced the Fighting Trees, which bend down their branches to pound and whip you, and had many other adventures there.""It's a wild country," remarked Dorothy, soberly, "and if we go there we're sure to have troubles of our own.But I guess we'll have to go, if we want that gill of water from the dark well."So they said good-bye to the Pumpkinhead and resumed their travels, heading now directly toward the South Country, where mountains and rocks and caverns and forests of great trees abounded.This part of the Land of Oz, while it belonged to Ozma and owed her allegiance, was so wild and secluded that many queer peoples hid in its jungles and lived in their own way, without even a knowledge that they had a Ruler in the Emerald City.If they were left alone, these creatures never troubled the inhabitants of the rest of Oz, but those who invaded their domains encountered many dangers from them.

It was a two days journey from Jack Pumkinhead's house to the edge of the Quadling Country, for neither Dorothy nor Ojo could walk very fast and they often stopped by the wayside to rest.The first night they slept on the broad fields, among the buttercups and daisies, and the Scarecrow covered the children with a gauze blanket taken from his knapsack, so they would not be chilled by the night air.Toward evening of the second day they reached a sandy plain where walking was difficult; but some distance before them they saw a group of palm trees, with many curious black dots under them; so they trudged bravely on to reach that place by dark and spend the night under the shelter of the trees.

The black dots grew larger as they advanced and although the light was dim Dorothy thought they looked like big kettles turned upside down.Just beyond this place a jumble of huge, jagged rocks lay scattered, rising to the mountains behind them.

Our travelers preferred to attempt to climb these rocks by daylight, and they realized that for a time this would be their last night on the plains.

Twilight had fallen by the time they came to the trees, beneath which were the black, circular objects they had marked from a distance.Dozens of them were scattered around and Dorothy bent near to one, which was about as tall as she was, to examine it more closely.As she did so the top flew open and out popped a dusky creature, rising its length into the air and then plumping down upon the ground just beside the little girl.

Another and another popped out of the circular, pot-like dwelling, while from all the other black objects came popping more creatures--very like jumping-jacks when their boxes are unhooked--until fully a hundred stood gathered around our little group of travelers.

By this time Dorothy had discovered they were people, tiny and curiously formed, but still people.Their skins were dusky and their hair stood straight up, like wires, and was brilliant scarlet in color.Their bodies were bare except for skins fastened around their waists and they wore bracelets on their ankles and wrists, and necklaces, and great pendant earrings.

Toto crouched beside his mistress and wailed as if he did not like these strange creatures a bit.

Scraps began to mutter something about "hopity, poppity, jumpity, dump!" but no one paid any attention to her.Ojo kept close to the Scarecrow and the Scarecrow kept close to Dorothy; but the little girl turned to the queer creatures and asked:

"Who are you?"

They answered this question all together, in a sort of chanting chorus, the words being as follows:

"We're the jolly Tottenhots;

We do not like the day, But in the night 'tis our delight To gambol, skip and play.

"We hate the sun and from it run, The moon is cool and clear, So on this spot each Tottenhot Waits for it to appear.

"We're ev'ry one chock full of fun, And full of mischief, too;But if you're gay and with us play We'll do no harm to you.

"Glad to meet you, Tottenhots," said the Scarecrow solemnly."But you mustn't expect us to play with you all night, for we've traveled all day and some of us are tired.""And we never gamble," added the Patchwork Girl.

"It's against the Law."