hose terrible horns, and unless we are careful they
prick us with the points," returned the Champion with a shudder. "That
makes a war with them dangerous, and a dangerous war cannot be a
pleasant one."

"I see very clearly," remarked the Scarecrow, "that you are going to
have trouble in conquering those Horners--unless we help you."

"Oh!" cried the Hoppers in a chorus; "can you help us? Please do! We
will be greatly obliged! It would please us very much!" and by these
exclamations the Scarecrow knew that his speech had met with favor.

"How far is it to the Horner Country?" he asked.

"Why, it's just the other side of the fence," they answered, and the
Champion added:

"Come with me, please, and I'll show you the Horners."

So they followed the Champion and several others through the streets and
just beyond the village came to a very high picket fence, built all of
marble, which seemed to divide the great cave into two equal parts.

But the part inhabited by the Horners was in no way as grand in
appearance as that of the Hoppers. Instead of being marble, the walls
and roof were of dull gray rock and the square houses were plainly made
of the same material. But in extent the city was much larger than that
of the Hoppers and the streets were thronged with numerous people who
busied themselves in various ways.

Looking through the open pickets of the fence our friends watched the
Horners, who did not know they were being watched by strangers, and
found them very unusual in appearance. They were little folks in size
and had bodies round as balls and short legs and arms. Their heads were
round, too, and they had long, pointed ears and a horn set in the center
of the forehead. The horns did not seem very terrible, for they were not
more than six inches long; but they were ivory white and sharp pointed,
and no wonder the Hoppers feared them.

The skins of the Horners were light brown, but they wore snow-white
robes and were bare-footed. Dorothy thought the most striking thing
about them was their hair, which grew in three distinct colors on each
and every head--red, yellow and green. The red was at the bottom and
sometimes hung over their eyes; then came a broad circle of yellow and
the green was at the top and formed a brush-shaped top-knot.

None of the Horners was yet aware of the presence of strangers, who
watched the little brown people for a time and then went to the big gate
in the center of the dividing fe