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"No, but I've swallowed some of it," coughed the Cowardly Lion, looking
suspiciously through the trees.
"I'll just step forward and see what it is," said the Knight. As he disappeared,
the truth dawned on Dorothy.
"Wait! Wait! Don't go! Please, please, Sir Hokus, come back, come back!"
cried the little girl, running after him as fast as she could.
"
What's the matter?" rumbled the Cowardly Lion, thudding behind her. Then
both, coming suddenly out of the woods, gave a terrible scream, which so
startled Sir Hokus that he fell over backwards. Just in time, too, for another
step would have taken him straight on to the Deadly Desert, which destroys
every living thing and keeps all intruders away from Oz.
"What befell?" puffed Sir Hokus, getting to his feet. Naturally, he knew
nothing of the poisonous sands.
"
"
"
You did," wheezed the Cowardly Lion in an agitated voice.
Was it a dragon?" asked the Knight, limping toward them hopefully.
Sit down!" The Cowardly Lion mopped his brow with his tail. "One step on
that desert and it would have been one long goodnight."
"I should say it would!" shuddered Dorothy, and explained to Sir Hokus the
deadly nature of the sands. "And do you know what this means?" Dorothy
was nearer to tears than even I like to think about. "It means we've come in
exactly the wrong direction and are farther away from the Emerald City than
we were when we started."
"And seek him near and fa--hah--har," mumbled Sir Hokus with a very
troubled light in his kindly blue eyes.
"And seek him near and far."
"Fah--har--har! I should say it was," said the Cowardly Lion bitterly. "But
you needn't sing it."
"No, I s'pose not. Uds helmets and hauberks! I s'pose not!" The Knight
lapsed into a discouraged silence, and all three sat and stared drearily at the
stretch of desert before them and thought gloomily of the rough country
behind.
"
It's a caravan," wheezed a hoarse voice.
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