hing! Tiger is my best friend! I yelled at the
kidnapper, but to no avail. I have lost my best friend!" He began to cry
like a kitten.

"It must have been that awful Forest Monster-Spider!" Nibbles swallowed
hard. "I know it was he who did this! He is so horrific! We must get
word to the new Queen. We really must!"

"I agree wholeheartedly," spoke Elephant. "We can not allow this sort of
thing to happen. Do you remember the last time enslavement was happening
here in our Munchkin country?"

"I do," said the mouse. "It was when that Wicked Witch had us all
enslaved. Oh, she was ever so much worse than I had ever realized! I'm
glad that house fell down and made her into mush."

"But we cannot count on any houses falling down on this spider man,"
said Tweaty with certainty. "You are quite right when you say that we
should do something about it. I was being awfully selfish when I refused
to do anything to help that little bug. But now my eyes are opened. To
think that not even a tiger is safe in that Monster's wake! This means
sure danger for birds and mice and elephants, too!"

"Then let's go and inform the new Queen straightaway!" trumpeted
Elephant. "I am willing to believe that she has the power to help us if
anyone does."

"But we should have something to show her to prove that we are not
insane," said Nibbles. "After all, who would ever believe that such a
beast could exist? It isn't natural. And besides ..."

He cut his sentence short when his eye fell upon a large marking on the
ground.

"Gads!" exclaimed Elephant. "That is one of the Monster's footprints!
Goodness! Just look how deep it is! That creature must weigh a million
tons!"

"Yes," agreed Tweaty, flittering into the hole. "This footprint is
almost as big around as a horse! And look at the size of those claws!
I'll bet it could rip Elephant in two without even straining itself!"

"Let's not discuss that," shuddered the pachyderm. "But I think we
should save this footprint for the Queen. Because she is a mere child,
she will be most impressed by its mass. I think we should make a cast of
it and carry it to the Emerald City to show her what we are up against."

Nibbles and Tweaty hurriedly went to a nearby maple tree and gnawed at
its trunk for a time. With Elephant's help, they poured some maple
syrupy sap into the footprint. Elephant blew on this with his strong
lungs until it hardened. Then, there before the trio, was a perfect cast
of the For