ses were many people all having
one leg growing below their bodies and all hopping here and there
whenever they moved. Even the children stood firmly upon their single
legs and never lost their balance.

"All hail, Champion!" cried a man in the first group of Hoppers they
met; "whom have you captured?"

"No one," replied the Champion in a gloomy voice; "these strangers have
captured me."

"Then," said another, "we will rescue you, and capture them, for we are
greater in number."

"No," answered the Champion, "I can't allow it. I've surrendered, and
it isn't polite to capture those you've surrendered to."

"Never mind that," said Dorothy. "We will give you your liberty and set
you free."

"Really?" asked the Champion in joyous tones.

"Yes," said the little girl; "your people may need you to help conquer
the Horners."

At this all the Hoppers looked downcast and sad. Several more had
joined the group by this time and quite a crowd of curious men, women
and children surrounded the strangers.

"This war with our neighbors is a terrible thing," remarked one of the
women. "Some one is almost sure to get hurt."

"Why do you say that, madam?" inquired the Scarecrow.

"Because the horns of our enemies are sharp, and in battle they will
try to stick those horns into our warriors," she replied.

"How many horns do the Horners have?" asked Dorothy.

"Each has one horn in the center of his forehead," was the answer.

"Oh, then they're unicorns," declared the Scarecrow.

"No; they're Horners. We never go to war with them if we can help it,
on account of their dangerous horns; but this insult was so great and
so unprovoked that our brave men decided to fight, in order to be
revenged," said the woman.

"What weapons do you fight with?" the Scarecrow asked.

"We have no weapons," explained the Champion. "Whenever we fight the
Horners, our plan is to push them back, for our arms are longer than
theirs."

"Then you are better armed," said Scraps.

"Yes; but they have those 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