Dorothys Mystical Adventures in Oz | Page 9

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?"
Dorothy looked at the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow, and swallowed. "Yes," she said.
"We do."
"Very well; so be it!" the leader replied. "The results will be on your head."
The Scarecrow whispered to the Tin Woodman. "What did he say would be on Dorothy's
head?"
"The results of her decision," answered the Woodman.
"Oh," said the Scarecrow, as he thought the whole thing over.
"Well, let's be on our way then," the leader said, kneeling down for Dorothy to mount
him. Two others did the same for the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow.
Although the journey took almost two days, there were, fortunately, few incidents.
However, there was one particular situation that had left everyone more than a little
shaky: The first indication that trouble was brewing was when a loud thumping sound
could be heard in the distance. It sounded at first as if a bunch of people were beating on
drums. But as the thumping got louder it became apparent that some sort of stampede was
in progress. The Girrephalumps seemed ready to make a run for it when the deafening
roar came to a sudden halt. Everyone looked at each other in complete bewilderment.
One moment they had been ready to run for their lives; now there was only a deathly
silence. The Girrephalumps stood perfectly still for the longest time. Then their leader
motioned his head slowly towards a wooded area where he had detected some movement.
"G-G-Good gracious," stammered Dorothy, as about fifty grizzly bears emerged. The
strange thing is that they didn't exactly lumber towards the little group as one might
expect. They were bobbing up and down in place as if they were all on trampolines. It
then became apparent to all, that these were not ordinary bears, but were kangaroos with
bear bodies, or, if you prefer, bears with kangaroo legs and tails. It was the most
incredible sight imaginable!
One bear, larger than all the others, approached (perhaps that is not the word to use,
hopped would be more like it). He hopped over to the leader of the Girrephalumps and
growled very