Page:The Royal Book of Oz.djvu/33

 crow could travel night and day without interruption. The stars winked out one by one, and by the time the cocks of the Munchkin farmers began to crow he had come to the banks of a broad blue river!

The Scarecrow took off his hat and scratched his head thoughtfully. Crossing rivers is no easy matter in Oz for there isn't a ferry in the Kingdom and unless one is a good swimmer or equipped with some of the Wizard's magic, it is mighty troublesome. Water does not agree with the Scarecrow at all, and as for swimming—he can no more swim than a bag of meal.

But he was too wise a person to give up merely because a thing appeared to be impossible. It was for just such emergencies that his excellent brains had been given to him.

"If Nick Chopper were here he would build a raft in no time," murmured the Scarecrow, "but as he is not I must think of another way!"

Turning his back upon the river, which distracted his mind, he began to think with all his might. Before he could collect his thoughts there was a tremendous crash and next minute he was lying face down in the mud. Several little crashes followed and a shower of water. Then a wet voice 29