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"Just as I thought," said Til, blinking her purple eyes and shaking her puffy

head; but just then the Loon stuck the thorn into the leg of Woot the

Wanderer, and while it had been blunted somewhat, it was still sharp

enough to hurt.

Ouch!" yelled Woot, and kicked out his leg with so much energy that the

frail bonds that tied him burst apart. His foot caught the Loon--who was

leaning over him--full on his puffy stomach, and sent him shooting up into

the air. When he was high over their heads he exploded with a loud "pop"

and his skin fell to the ground.

I really believe," said the King, rolling his spotlike eyes in a frightened way,

that Panta was right in claiming these prisoners are dangerous. Is the

pump ready?"

Some of the Loons had wheeled a big machine in front of the throne and

now took Panta's skin and began to pump air into it. Slowly it swelled out

until the King cried "Stop!"

"No, no!" yelled Panta, "I'm not big enough yet."

"You're as big as you're going to be," declared the King. "Before you exploded

you were bigger than the rest of us, and that caused you to be proud and

overbearing. Now you're a little smaller than the rest, and you will last

longer and be more humble."

Pump me up--pump me up!" wailed Panta "If you don't you'll break my

heart."

"If we do we'll break your skin," replied the King.

So the Loons stopped pumping air into Panta, and pushed him away from

the pump. He was certainly more humble than before his accident, for he

crept into the background and said nothing more.

"Now pump up the other one," ordered the King. Til had already mended

him, and the Loons set to work to pump him full of air.

During these last few moments none had paid much attention to the

prisoners, so Woot, finding his legs free, crept over to the Tin Woodman and

rubbed the bonds that were still around his arms and body against the

sharp edge of the axe, which quickly cut them.

The boy was now free, and the thorn which the Loon had stuck into his leg

was lying unnoticed on the ground, where the creature had dropped it when

The Tin Woodman of Oz