coarse black hair. It had a great mouth, with a row of sharp teeth a
foot long; but its head was joined to the pudgy body by a neck as
slender as a wasp s waist. This gave the Lion a hint of the best way to
attack the creature, and as he knew it was easier to fight it asleep
than awake, he gave a great spring and landed directly upon the
monster s back. Then, with one blow of his heavy paw, all armed with
sharp claws, he knocked the spider s head from its body. Jumping down,
he watched it until the long legs stopped wiggling, when he knew it was
quite dead.
The Lion went back to the opening where the beasts of the forest were
waiting for him and said proudly:
You need fear your enemy no longer.
Then the beasts bowed down to the Lion as their King, and he promised
to come back and rule over them as soon as Dorothy was safely on her
way to Kansas.
Chapter XXII
The Country of the Quadlings
The four travelers passed through the rest of the forest in safety, and
when they came out from its gloom saw before them a steep hill, covered
from top to bottom with great pieces of rock.
That will be a hard climb, said the Scarecrow, but we must get over
the hill, nevertheless.
So he led the way and the others followed. They had nearly reached the
first rock when they heard a rough voice cry out, Keep back!
Who are you? asked the Scarecrow.
Then a head showed itself over the rock and the same voice said, This
hill belongs to us, and we don t allow anyone to cross it.
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