“Sir,” said the voice, “you must rub these leaves upon the soles of all your feet, and then you will be able to walk upon the water without sinking below the surface. It is a secret the bears do not know, and we people of Voe usually walk upon the water when we travel, and so escape our enemies.”

“Thank you!” cried the Wizard, joyfully, and at once rubbed a leaf upon the soles of Dorothy’s shoes and then upon his own. The girl took a leaf and rubbed it upon the kitten’s paws, and the rest of the plant was handed to Zeb, who, after applying it to his own feet, carefully rubbed it upon all four of Jim’s hoofs and then upon the tires of the buggy-wheels. He had nearly finished this last task when a low growling was suddenly heard and the horse began to jump around and kick viciously with his heels.