Its legs were quite as long as the tiger had said, and its body
covered with coarse black hair. It had a great mouth, with a row
of sharp teeth a foot long; but its head was joined to the pudgy
body by a neck as slender as a wasp's waist. This gave the Lion a
hint of the best way to attack the creature, and as he knew it was
easier to fight it asleep than awake, he gave a great spring and
landed directly upon the monster's back. Then, with one blow of
his heavy paw, all armed with sharp claws, he knocked the spider's
head from its body. Jumping down, he watched it until the long
legs stopped wiggling, when he knew it was quite dead.
The Lion went back to the opening where the beasts of the
forest were waiting for him and said proudly:
"You need fear your enemy no longer."
Then the beasts bowed down to the Lion as their King, and he
promised to come back and rule over them as soon as Dorothy was
safely on her way to Kansas.
22. The Country of the Quadlings
The four travelers passed through the rest of the forest in
safety, and when they came out from its gloom saw before them a
steep hill, covered from top to bottom with great pieces of rock.
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