begin their
voyage on the river next morning.

This they did, spending a pleasant evening with the Quadling family and
being entertained with such hospitality as the poor people were able to
offer them. The man groaned a good deal and said he had overworked
himself by chopping the logs, but the Scarecrow gave him two more
tablets than he had promised, which seemed to comfort the lazy fellow.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Trick River

Next morning they pushed the raft into the water and all got aboard.
The Quadling man had to hold the log craft fast while they took their
places, and the flow of the river was so powerful that it nearly tore
the raft from his hands. As soon as they were all seated upon the logs
he let go and away it floated and the adventurers had begun their
voyage toward the Winkie Country.

The little house of the Quadlings was out of sight almost before they
had cried their good-byes, and the Scarecrow said in a pleased voice:
"It won't take us long to get to the Winkie Country, at this rate."

They had floated several miles down the stream and were enjoying the
ride when suddenly the raft slowed up, stopped short, and then began to
float back the way it had come.

"Why, what's wrong?" asked Dorothy, in astonishment; but they were all
just as bewildered as she was and at first no one could answer the
question. Soon, however, they realized the truth: that the current of
the river had reversed and the water was now flowing in the opposite
direction--toward the mountains.

They began to recognize the scenes they had passed, and by and by they
came in sight of the little house of the Quadlings again. The man was
standing on the river bank and he called to them:

"How do you do? Glad to see you again. I forgot to tell you that the
river changes its direction every little while. Sometimes it flows one
way, and sometimes the other."

They had no time to answer him, for the raft was swept past the house
and a long distance on the other side of it.

"We're going just the way we don't want to go," said Dorothy, "and I
guess the best thing we can do is to get to land before we're carried
any farther."

But they could not get to land. They had no oars, nor even a pole to
guide the raft with. The logs which bore them floated in the middle of
the stream and were held fast in that position by the strong current.

So they sat still and waited and, even while they were wondering what
could be done,