Trot and Pon covered many leagues of ground, searchingthrough forests, in fields and in many of the littlevillages of Jinxland, but could find no trace of eitherCap'n Bill or Button-Bright. Finally they paused beside acornfield and sat upon a stile to rest. Pon took someapples from his pocket and gave one to Trot. Then hebegan eating another himself, for this was their time forluncheon. When his apple was finished Pon tossed the coreinto the field.

"Tchuk-tchuk!" said a strange voice. "what do you meanby hitting me in the eye with an apple-core?"

Then rose up the form of the Scarecrow, who had hiddenhimself in the cornfield while he examined Pon and Trotand decided whether they were worthy to be helped.

"Excuse me," said Pon. "I didn't know you were there."

"How did you happen to be there, anyhow?" asked Trot.

The Scarecrow came forward with awkward steps and stoodbeside them.

"Ah, you are the gardener's boy," he said to Pon. Thenhe turned to Trot. "And you are the little girl who cameto Jinxland riding on a big bird, and who has had themisfortune to lose her friend, Cap'n Bill, and her chum,Button-Bright."

"Why, how did you know all that?" she inquired.

"I know a lot of things," replied the Scarecrow,winking at her comically. "My brains are the Carefully-Assorted, Double-Distilled, High-Efficiency sort that theWizard of Oz makes. He admits, himself, that my brainsare the best he ever manufactured."

"I think I've heard of you," said Trot slowly, as shelooked the Scarecrow over with much interest; "but youused to live in the Land of Oz."

"Oh, I do now," he replied cheerfully. "I've just comeover the mountains from the Quadling Country to see if Ican be of any help to you."

"Who, me?" asked Pon.

"No, the strangers from the big world. It seems theyneed looking after."

"I'm doing that myself," said Pon, a littleungraciously. "If you will pardon me for saying so, Idon't see how a Scarecrow with painted eyes can lookafter anyone."

"If you don't see that, you are more blind than theScarecrow," asserted Trot. "He's a fairy man, Pon, andcomes from the fairyland of Oz, so he can do 'mostanything. I hope," she added, turning to the Scarecrow,"you can find Cap'n Bill for me."

"I will try, anyhow," he promised. "But who is that oldwoman who is running toward us and shaking her stick atus?"

Trot and Pon turned around and both uttered anexclamation of fear. The next instant they took to theirheels and ran fast up the path. For it was old Blinkie,the Wicked Witch, who had at last traced them to thisplace. Her anger was so great that she was determined notto abandon the chase of Pon and Trot until she had caughtand punished them. The Scarecrow understood at once thatthe old woman meant harm to his new friends, so as shedrew near he stepped before her. His appearance was sosudden and unexpected that Blinkie ran into him andtoppled him over, but she tripped on his straw body andwent rolling in the path beside him.

The Scarecrow sat up and said: "I beg your pardon!" butshe whacked him with her stick and knocked him flatagain. Then, furious with rage, the old witch sprang uponher victim and began pulling the straw out of his body.The poor Scarecrow was helpless to resist and in a fewmoments all that was left of him was an empty suit ofclothes and a heap of straw beside it. Fortunately,Blinkie did not harm his head, for it rolled into alittle hollow and escaped her notice. Fearing that Ponand Trot would escape her, she quickly resumed the chaseand disappeared over the brow of a hill, following thedirection in which she had seen them go.

Only a short time elapsed before a gray grasshopperwith a wooden leg came hopping along and lit directly onthe upturned face of the Scarecrow's head.

"Pardon me, but you are resting yourself upon my nose,"remarked the Scarecrow

"Oh! are you alive?" asked the grasshopper.

"That is a question I have never been able to decide,"said the Scarecrow's head. "When my body is properlystuffed I have animation and can move around as well asany live person. The brains in the head you are nowoccupying as a throne, are of very superior quality anddo a lot of very clever thinking. But whether that isbeing alive, or not, I cannot prove to you; for one wholives is liable to death, while I am only liable todestruction."

"Seems to me," said the grasshopper, rubbing his nosewith his front legs, "that in your case it doesn't matter-- unless you're destroyed already."

"I am not; all I need is re-stuffing," declared theScarecrow; "and if Pon and Trot escape the witch, andcome back here, I am sure they will do me that favor."

"Tell me! Are Trot and Pon around here?" inquired thegrasshopper, its small voice trembling with excitement.

The Scarecrow did not answer at once, for both his eyeswere staring straight upward at a beautiful face that wasslightly bent over his head. It was, indeed, PrincessGloria, who had wandered to this spot, very muchsurprised when she heard the Scarecrow's head talk andthe tiny gray grasshopper answer it.

"This," said the Scarecrow, still staring at her, "mustbe the Princess who loves Pon, the gardener's boy."

"Oh, indeed!" exclaimed the grasshopper -- who ofcourse was Cap'n Bill -- as he examined the young ladycuriously.

"No," said Gloria frigidly, "I do not love Pon, oranyone else, for the Wicked Witch has frozen my heart."

"What a shame!" cried the Scarecrow. "One so lovelyshould be able to love. But would you mind, my dear,stuffing that straw into my body again?"

The dainty Princess glanced at the straw and at thewell-worn blue Munchkin clothes and shrank back indisdain. But she was spared from refusing the Scarecrow'srequest by the appearance of Trot and Pon, who had hiddenin some bushes just over the brow of the hill and waiteduntil old Blinkie had passed them by. Their hiding placewas on the same side as the witch's blind eye, and sherushed on in the chase of the girl and the youth withoutbeing aware that they had tricked her.

Trot was shocked at the Scarecrow's sad condition andat once began putting the straw back into his body. Pon,at sight of Gloria, again appealed to her to take pity onhim, but the frozen-hearted Princess turned coldly awayand with a sigh the gardener's boy began to assist Trot.

Neither of them at first noticed the small grasshopper,which at their appearance had skipped off the Scarecrow'snose and was now clinging to a wisp of grass beside thepath, where he was not likely to be stepped upon. Notuntil the Scarecrow had been neatly restuffed and setupon his feet again -- when he bowed to his restorers andexpressed his thanks -- did the grasshopper move from hisperch. Then he leaped lightly into the path and calledout:

"Trot -- Trot! Look at me. I'm Cap'n Bill! See what theWicked Witch has done to me."

The voice was small, to be sure, but it reached Trot'sears and startled her greatly. She looked intently at thegrasshopper, her eyes wide with fear at first; then sheknelt down and, noticing the wooden leg, she began toweep sorrowfully.

"Oh, Cap'n Bill -- dear Cap'n Bill! What a cruel thingto do!" she sobbed.

"Don't cry, Trot," begged the grasshopper. "It didn'thurt any, and it doesn't hurt now. But it's mightyinconvenient an' humiliatin', to say the least."

"I wish," said the girl indignantly, while trying hardto restrain her tears, "that I was big 'nough an' strong'nough to give that horrid witch a good beating. Sheought to be turned into a toad for doing this to you,Cap'n Bill!"

"Never mind," urged the Scarecrow, in a comfortingvoice, "such a transformation doesn't last always, and asa general thing there's some way to break theenchantment. I'm sure Glinda could do it, in a jiffy."

"Who is Glinda?" inquired Cap'n Bill.

Then the Scarecrow told them all about Glinda, notforgetting to mention her beauty and goodness and herwonderful powers of magic. He also explained how theRoyal Sorceress had sent him to Jinxland especially tohelp the strangers, whom she knew to be in danger becauseof the wiles of the cruel King and the Wicked Witch.