“Oh, he lives there too, with his friend the Hungry Tiger; and Billina is there, because she liked the place better than Kansas, and wouldn’t go with me to Australia.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know the Hungry Tiger and Billina,” said the Wizard, shaking his head. “Is Billina a girl?”

“No; she’s a yellow hen, and a great friend of mine. You’re sure to like Billina, when you know her,” asserted Dorothy.

“Your friends sound like a menagerie,” remarked Zeb, uneasily. “Couldn’t you wish me in some safer place than Oz.”

“Don’t worry,” replied the girl. “You’ll just love the folks in Oz, when you get acquainted. What time is it, Mr. Wizard?”

The little man looked at his watch⁠—a big silver one that he carried in his vest pocket.