Shaggy Man.

"All glass."

"And alive?"

"Yes," said Ojo; "she has pink brains. And there's a Woozy--"

"What's a Woozy?" inquired the Shaggy Man.

"Why, I--I--can't describe it," answered the boy, greatly perplexed.
"But it's a queer animal with three hairs on the tip of its tail that
won't come out and--"

"What won't come out?" asked the Shaggy Man; "the tail?"

"The hairs won't come out. But you'll see the Woozy, if you'll please
rescue it, and then you'll know just what it is."

"Of course," said the Shaggy Man, nodding his shaggy head. And then he
walked back among the plants, still whistling, and found the three
leaves which were curled around Ojo's traveling companions. The first
leaf he cut down released Scraps, and on seeing her the Shaggy Man
threw back his shaggy head, opened wide his mouth and laughed so
shaggily and yet so merrily that Scraps liked him at once. Then he took
off his hat and made her a low bow, saying:

"My dear, you're a wonder. I must introduce you to my friend the
Scarecrow."

When he cut down the second leaf he rescued the Glass Cat, and Bungle
was so frightened that she scampered away like a streak and soon had
joined Ojo, when she sat beside him panting and trembling. The last
plant of all the row had captured the Woozy, and a big bunch in the
center of the curled leaf showed plainly where he was. With his sharp
knife the Shaggy Man sliced off the stem of the leaf and as it fell and
unfolded out trotted the Woozy and escaped beyond the reach of any more
of the dangerous plants.

Chapter Eleven

A Good Friend

Soon the entire party was gathered on the road of yellow bricks, quite
beyond the reach of the beautiful but treacherous plants. The Shaggy
Man, staring first at one and then at the other, seemed greatly pleased
and interested.

"I've seen queer things since I came to the Land of Oz," said he, "but
never anything queerer than this band of adventurers. Let us sit down a
while, and have a talk and get acquainted."

"Haven't you always lived in the Land of Oz?" asked the Munchkin boy.

"No; I used to live in the big, outside world. But I came here once
with Dorothy, and Ozma let me stay."

"How do you like Oz?" asked Scraps. "Isn't the country and the climate
grand?"

"It's the finest country in all the world, even if it is a fairyland,
and I'm happy every minute I live in it," said the Shaggy Man. "But
tell me something about yourselves."

So Ojo