Cowardly Lion (Fictitious character) -- Juvenile fiction; Fantasy literature; Oz (Imaginary place) -- Juvenile fiction
Bob was the first to discover that every now and then the trees were
numbered and, following them in the order of their numbers, took them
deeper and deeper into the forest. When they reached the tree numbered
nineteen, they were alarmed to note that all the other numbers that had
guided them had disappeared. The wood had meanwhile grown so dense
that they could hardly push on and, when Notta suggested that they go
back, they found they had lost the way entirely. The Cowardly Lion
was full of stickers and thorns and, while Bob picked them out of his
woolly mane, the clown climbed the nineteenth tree to make a little
survey of the country.
With a shout he came scrambling down. "There's a clearing just beyond,
and I think I made out twenty on the tree in the center," puffed Notta.
"Come on!" The clown was growing more interested in this strange
country every minute. He could hardly wait to see what was going to
happen next.
"Let me go first. My hide doesn't tear as easily as yours," said the
Cowardly Lion, and he began pushing through the heavy thicket in the
direction pointed out by Notta. Holding up their arms to protect their
faces, the others followed and in almost no time had come out on a
small clearing.
As they looked the clown clutched Bob, while the Cowardly Lion blinked
with astonishment. The twentieth tree was knitting furiously, holding
in its long fingers nearly a hundred gleaming needles, and bending its
witchy head every once in a while to examine the great, cloudy net
that flowed all around it. For some moments they watched in puzzled
silence. Then Bob screamed, the Cowardly Lion roared and Notta gasped
with alarm. For the net suddenly swooped down and scooped them up like
a school of fish. The tree gave a disagreeable little laugh, quickly
knitted the top of the net together and, lifting all its branches at
once, tossed the luckless travelers high over its head.
Miraculously, as it struck the air, the big porous bag filled out like
a balloon and went sailing upward at a terrible rate--the Cowardly
Lion, Bob Up and Notta rolling over and over in the bottom and bumping
and banging together in a most painful and unpleasant fashion.
Chapter 10
On the Isle of Un
"If you could just stop trembling," puffed the clown, trying to keep
out of the Cowardly Lion's way, "I think it would help."
"But how can I stop trembling when I am so frightened," complained the
lion, clutching the swaying net with all four paws.
"I'm frightened too!" wailed Bob, who was rolling and bouncing first
against one, then against the other.
"It seems to me you're shaking about a lot yourself," said the Cowardly
Lion reproachfully, as Notta dove suddenly into his ribs. "What are you
trying to do?"
"My disguise!" panted the clown, clutching at his chest. "If I could
only put on my disguise."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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