The Magic of Oz

at the trees upon the bank where they stood. Presently he took from the big

pocket of his coat an axe-blade, wound in an old cloth to keep the sharp

edge from cutting his clothing. Then, with a large pocket knife, he cut a

small limb from a tree and whittled it into a handle for his axe.

Sit down, Trot," he advised the girl, as he worked. "I've got quite a

job ahead of me now, for I've got to build us a raft."

What do we need a raft for, Cap'n?"

Why, to take us to the island. We can't walk under water, in the river

bed, as the Glass Cat did, so we must float atop the water."

Can you make a raft, Cap'n Bill?"

O' course, Trot, if you give me time."

The little girl sat down on a log and gazed at the Island of the Magic

Flower. Nothing else seemed to grow on the tiny isle. There was no tree,

no shrub, no grass, even, as far as she could make out from that distance.

But the gold pot glittered in the rays of the sun, and Trot could catch

glimpses of glowing colors above it, as the Magic Flower changed from

one sort to another.

When I was here before," remarked the Glass Cat, lazily reclining at

the girl's feet, "I saw two Kalidahs on this very bank, where they had come

to drink."

What are Kalidahs?" asked the girl.

The most powerful and ferocious beasts in all Oz. This forest is their

especial home, and so there are few other beasts to be found except

monkeys. The monkeys are spry enough to keep out of the way of the

fierce Kalidahs, which attack all other animals and often fight among

themselves."

Did they try to fight you when you saw 'em?" asked Trot, getting very

much excited.

Yes. They sprang upon me in an instant; but I lay flat on the ground,

so I wouldn't get my legs broken by the great weight of the beasts, and

when they tried to bite me I laughed at them and jeered them until they

were frantic with rage, for they nearly broke their teeth on my hard glass.

So, after a time, they discovered they could not hurt me, and went away. It