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His voice was now at the left of them, so they started on, hoping to avoid

him, and traveled as fast as they could in the direction of Mount Munch.

"I don't like this invisible country," said Woot with a shudder. "We can't tell

how many dreadful, invisible beasts are roaming around us, or what danger

we'll come to next."

Quit thinking about danger, please," said the Scarecrow, warningly.

Why?" asked the boy.

If you think of some dreadful thing, it's liable to happen, but if you don't

think of it, and no one else thinks of it, it just can't happen. Do you see?"

No," answered Woot. "I won't be able to see much of anything until we

escape from this enchantment."

But they got out of the invisible strip of country as suddenly as they had

entered it, and the instant they got out they stopped short, for just before

them was a deep ditch, running at right angles as far as their eyes could see

and stopping all further progress toward Mount Munch.

It's not so very wide," said Woot, "but I'm sure none of us can jump across

it."

Polychrome began to laugh, and the Scarecrow said: "What's the matter?"

Look at the tin men!" she said, with another burst of merry laughter.

Woot and the Scarecrow looked, and the tin men looked at themselves.

It was the collision," said the Tin Woodman regretfully. "I knew something

was wrong with me, and now I can see that my side is dented in so that I

lean over toward the left. It was the Soldier's fault; he shouldn't have been

so careless."

"It is your fault that my right leg is bent, making it shorter than the other,

so that I limp badly," retorted the Soldier. "You shouldn't have stood where I

was walking."

You shouldn't have walked where I was standing," replied the Tin

Woodman.

It was almost a quarrel, so Polychrome said soothingly:

Never mind, friends; as soon as we have time I am sure we can straighten

the Soldier's leg and get the dent out of the Woodman's body. The Scarecrow

The Tin Woodman of Oz