"Well, there's only one way to find out what it means," said the Tin Woodman. "And that's to knock twice and see what happens." "Go ahead," said Dorothy. "With your metal fist, you should be able to knock loud enough for the Girrephalumps, whoever they are, to hear." BANG! BANG! The Tin Woodman knocked so hard that he almost knocked the sign down. Immediately there was a roar like thunder as a herd of animals descended on the sign from seemingly nowhere. And what strange looking animals they were: Each had a giraffe's head and neck, but an elephant's body. Also, they were pink in color, with large white and blue dots all over. The leader of the Girrephalumps walked right up to Dorothy and said, "You knocked, madam?" Dorothy put her hand to her mouth to hide a smile. "Why, yes we did," she answered, glancing sideways at the Tin Woodman. "Well," continued the Girrephalump, "where do you wish to go? We are the official transportation of Oz.... Of course, we also clean upstairs windows and replace the light bulbs in street lights. But I am sure that at the moment it's transportation you want. Am I not correct?" "Why ... yes, you are perfectly correct," replied the girl, not a little bewildered. "Well, where do you wish to be taken?" asked the Girrephalump. "And what is the purpose of your journey?" "We wish to travel to Lion Country," replied Dorothy. "To visit our friend the Cowardly Lion, except that he's not cowardly any more." "And your purpose, my dear?" "We wish to join forces with the Lion because we have a very important mission to perform." "Hmmm," said the Girrephalump. "And what may that mission be, if I may be so bold as to ask?" "Well," answered Dorothy, "we're not totally certain. But we wish to confront the Wicked Witch of the Deep South and speak with her." "OH, NO!" called out the Girrephalumps in unison, as they drew back. "We must have a conference," said the leader. The Girrephalumps all huddled together for several minutes. "We are afraid to take you to Lion Country," said the leader to Dorothy as he returned. "We could very well be attacked by the Wicked Witch. You will never get to Lion Country alone, for there are dangerous swamps, and only we know the way. Besides, you would be very foolish to continue with this mission. You are not only endangering your own life, but also the lives of your companions. You must return at once!" "But I cannot!" exclaimed Dorothy, almost in tears. "We have come so far, and we must go on. This is very important to us -- to all of Oz." "Hmmm," said the leader again. "We must have another conference." Once again, the Girrephalumps went into a huddle. This time they took much longer. At length he returned, but looked very solemn. "Well," he said after looking at Dorothy for a long time. "The majority vote has predominated. But this is very unwise of you to insist on going on. If we are attacked we will desert you and you will die in the swamps. Do you understand?"