"to repay you for saving the
life of our Queen?"

"Nothing that I know of," answered the Woodman; but the Scarecrow, who
had been trying to think, but could not because his head was stuffed
with straw, said, quickly, "Oh, yes; you can save our friend, the
Cowardly Lion, who is asleep in the poppy bed."

"A Lion!" cried the little Queen. "Why, he would eat us all up."

"Oh, no," declared the Scarecrow; "this Lion is a coward."

"Really?" asked the Mouse.

"He says so himself," answered the Scarecrow, "and he would never hurt
anyone who is our friend. If you will help us to save him I promise
that he shall treat you all with kindness."

"Very well," said the Queen, "we trust you. But what shall we do?"

"Are there many of these mice which call you Queen and are willing to
obey you?"

"Oh, yes; there are thousands," she replied.

"Then send for them all to come here as soon as possible, and let each
one bring a long piece of string."

The Queen turned to the mice that attended her and told them to go at
once and get all her people. As soon as they heard her orders they ran
away in every direction as fast as possible.

"Now," said the Scarecrow to the Tin Woodman, "you must go to those
trees by the riverside and make a truck that will carry the Lion."

So the Woodman went at once to the trees and began to work; and he soon
made a truck out of the limbs of trees, from which he chopped away all
the leaves and branches. He fastened it together with wooden pegs and
made the four wheels out of short pieces of a big tree trunk. So fast
and so well did he work that by the time the mice began to arrive the
truck was all ready for them.

They came from all directions, and there were thousands of them: big
mice and little mice and middle-sized mice; and each one brought a
piece of string in his mouth. It was about this time that Dorothy woke
from her long sleep and opened her eyes. She was greatly astonished to
find herself lying upon the grass, with thousands of mice standing
around and looking at her timidly. But the Scarecrow told her about
everything, and turning to the dignified little Mouse, he said:

"Permit me to introduce to you her Majesty, the Queen."

Dorothy nodded gravely and the Queen made a curtsy, after which she
became quite friendly with the little girl.

The Scarecrow and the Woodman now began to fasten the mice to the
truck, using the strings they had brought. One end of a string was