There had been trouble in the Forest of Gugu that morning. Chipo the
Wild Boar had bitten the tail off Arx the Giraffe while the latter had
his head among the leaves of a tree, eating his breakfast. Arx kicked
with his heels and struck Tirrip, the great Kangaroo, who had a new
baby in her pouch. Tirrip knew it was the Wild Boar's fault, so she
knocked him over with one powerful blow and then ran away to escape
Chipo's sharp tusks. In the chase that followed a giant porcupine
stuck fifty sharp quills into the Boar and a chimpanzee in a tree threw
a cocoanut at the porcupine that jammed its head into its body.
All this was against the Laws of the Forest, and when the excitement
was over, Gugu the Leopard King called his royal Counselors together to
decide how best to punish the offenders.
The four lords of the forest were holding solemn council in a small
clearing when they saw two strange beasts approaching them--beasts the
like of which they had never seen before.
Not one of the four, however, relaxed his dignity or showed by a
movement that he was startled. The great Leopard crouched at full
length upon a fallen tree-trunk. Bru the Bear sat on his haunches
before the King; Rango the Gray Ape stood with his muscular arms
folded, and Loo the Unicorn reclined, much as a horse does, between his
fellow-councillors. With one consent they remained silent, eyeing with
steadfast looks the intruders, who were making their way into their
forest domain.
"Well met, Brothers!" said one of the strange beasts, coming to a halt
beside the group, while his comrade with hesitation lagged behind.
"We are not brothers," returned the Gray Ape, sternly. "Who are you,
and how came you in the forest of Gugu?"
"We are two Li-Mon-Eags," said Ruggedo, inventing the name. "Our home
is in Sky Island, and we have come to earth to warn the forest beasts
that the people of Oz are about to make war upon them and enslave them,
so that they will become beasts of burden forever after and obey only
the will of their two-legged masters."
A low roar of anger arose from the Council of Beasts.
"WHO'S going to do that?" asked Loo the Unicorn, in a high, squeaky
voice, at the same time rising to his feet.
"The people of Oz," said Ruggedo.
"But what will WE be doing?" inquired the Unicorn.
"That's what I've come to talk to you about."
"You needn't talk! We'll fight the Oz people!" screamed the Unicorn.
"We'll smash 'em; we'll trample 'em; we'll gore 'em; we'll--"
"Silence!" growled Gugu the King, and Loo obeyed, although still
trembling with wrath. The cold, steady gaze of the Leopard wandered
over the two strange beasts. "The people of Oz," said he, "have not
been our friends; they have not been our enemies. They have let us
alone, and we have let them alone. There is no reason for war between
us. They have no slaves. They could not use us as slaves if they
should conquer us. I think you are telling us lies, you strange
Li-Mon-Eag--you mixed-up beast who are neither one thing nor another."
"Oh, on my word, it's the truth!" protested the Nome in the beast's
shape. "I wouldn't lie for the world; I--"
"Silence!" again growled Gugu the King; and somehow, even Ruggedo was
abashed and obeyed the edict.
"What do you say, Bru?" asked the King, turning to the great Bear, who
had until now said nothing.
"How does the Mixed Beast know that what he says is true?" asked the
Bear.
"Why, I can fly, you know, having the wings of an Eagle," explained the
Nome. "I and my comrade yonder," turning to Kiki, "flew to a grove in
Oz, and there we heard the people telling how they will make many ropes
to snare you beasts, and then they will surround this forest, and all
other forests, and make you prisoners. So we came here to warn you,
for being beasts ourselves, although we live in the sky, we are your
friends."
The Leopard's lip curled and showed his enormous teeth, sharp as
needles. He turned to the Gray Ape.
"What do YOU think, Rango?" he asked.
"Send these mixed beasts away, Your Majesty," replied the Gray Ape.
"They are mischief-makers."
"Don't do that--don't do that!" cried the Unicorn, nervously. "The
stranger said he would tell us what to do. Let him tell us, then. Are
we fools, not to heed a warning?"
Gugu the King turned to Ruggedo.
"Speak, Stranger," he commanded.
"Well," said the Nome, "it's this way: The Land of Oz is a fine
country. The people of Oz have many good things--houses with soft
beds, all sorts of nice-tasting food, pretty clothes, lovely jewels,
and many other things that beasts know nothing of. Here in the dark
forests the poor beasts have hard work to get enough to eat and to find
a bed to rest in. But the beasts are better than the people, and why
should they not have all the good things the people have? So I propose
that before the Oz people have the time to make all those ropes to
snare you with, that all we beasts get together and march against the
Oz people and capture them. Then the beasts will become the masters
and the people their slaves."
"What good would that do us?" asked Bru the Bear.
"It would save you from slavery, for one thing, and you could enjoy all
the fine things of Oz people have."
"Beasts wouldn't know what to do with the things people use," said the
Gray Ape.
"But this is only part of my plan," insisted the Nome. "Listen to the
rest of it. We two Li-Mon-Eags are powerful magicians. When you have
conquered the Oz people we will transform them all into beasts, and
send them to the forests to live, and we will transform all the beasts
into people, so they can enjoy all the wonderful delights of the
Emerald City."