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The day was growing lighter every minute and driving the black shadows

out of the forest; so Dorothy found it very pleasant walking under the

trees. She went some distance in one direction, but not finding a path,

presently turned in a different direction. There was no path here, either,

although she advanced quite a way into the forest, winding here and

there among the trees and peering through the bushes in an endeavor to

find some beaten track.

I think we'd better go back," suggested the Yellow Hen, after a time. "The

people will all be up by this time and breakfast will be ready."

Very well," agreed Dorothy. "Let's see--the camp must be over this way."

She had probably made a mistake about that, for after they had gone far

enough to have reached the camp they still found themselves in the thick

of the woods. So the little girl stopped short and looked around her, and

Toto glanced up into her face with his bright little eyes and wagged his

tail as if he knew something was wrong. He couldn't tell much about

direction himself, because he had spent his time prowling among the

bushes and running here and there; nor had Billina paid much attention

to where they were going, being interested in picking bugs from the moss

as they passed along. The Yellow Hen now turned one eye up toward the

little girl and asked:

Have you forgotten where the camp is, Dorothy?"

Yes," she admitted; "have you, Billina?"

I didn't try to remember," returned Billina. "I'd no idea you would get

lost, Dorothy."

It's the thing we don't expect, Billina, that usually happens," observed

the girl, thoughtfully. "But it's no use standing here. Let's go in that

direction," pointing a finger at random. "It may be we'll get out of the

forest over there."

So on they went again, but this way the trees were closer together, and

the vines were so tangled that often they tripped Dorothy up.

Suddenly a voice cried sharply:

Halt!"

The Emerald City of Oz