The straw man's appearance on the water was so suddenthat it startled Trot, but Cap'n Bill had the presence ofmind to stick his wooden leg out over the water and theScarecrow made a desperate clutch and grabbed the legwith both hands. He managed to hold on until Trot andButton-Bright knelt down and seized his clothing, but thechildren would have been powerless to drag the soakedScarecrow ashore had not Cap'n Bill now assisted them.When they laid him on the ledge of rubies he was the mostuseless looking Scarecrow you can imagine -- his strawsodden and dripping with water, his clothing wet andcrumpled, while even the sack upon which his face waspainted had become so wrinkled that the old jollyexpression of their stuffed friend's features wasentirely gone. But he could still speak, and when Trotbent down her ear she heard him say:

"Get me out of here as soon as you can."

That seemed a wise thing to do, so Cap'n Bill liftedhis head and shoulders, and Trot and Button-Bright eachtook a leg; among them they partly carried and partlydragged the damp Scarecrow out of the Ruby Cavern, alongthe tunnel, and up the flight of rock steps. It wassomewhat difficult to get him past the edge of thewaterfall, but they succeeded, after much effort, and afew minutes later laid their poor comrade on a grassybank where the sun shone upon him freely and he wasbeyond the reach of the spray.

Cap'n Bill now knelt down and examined the straw thatthe Scarecrow was stuffed with.

"I don't believe it'll be of much use to him, anymore," said he, "for it's full of polliwogs an' fisheggs, an' the water has took all the crinkle out o' thestraw an ruined it. I guess, Trot, that the best thingfor us to do is to empty out all his body an' carry hishead an' clothes along the road till we come to a fieldor a house where we can get some fresh straw."

"Yes, Cap'n," she agreed, "there's nothing else to bedone. But how shall we ever find the road to Glinda'spalace, without the Scarecrow to guide us?"

"That's easy," said the Scarecrow, speaking in a ratherfeeble but distinct voice. "If Cap'n Bill will carry myhead on his shoulders, eyes front, I can tell him whichway to go."

So they followed that plan and emptied all the old, wetstraw out of the Scarecrow's body. Then the sailor-manwrung out the clothes and laid them in the sun till theywere quite dry. Trot took charge of the head and pressedthe wrinkles out of the face as it dried, so that after awhile the Scarecrow's expression became natural again,and as jolly as before.

This work consumed some time, but when it was completedthey again started upon their journey, Button-Brightcarrying the boots and hat, Trot the bundle of clothes,and Cap'n Bill the head. The Scarecrow, having regainedhis composure and being now in a good humor, despite hisrecent mishaps, beguiled their way with stories of theLand of Oz.

It was not until the next morning, however, that theyfound straw with which to restuff the Scarecrow. Thatevening they came to the same little house they had sleptin before, only now it was magically transferred to a newplace. The same bountiful supper as before was foundsmoking hot upon the table and the same cosy beds wereready for them to sleep in.

They rose early and after breakfast went out of doors,and there, lying just beside the house, was a heap ofclean, crisp straw. Ozma had noticed the Scarecrow'saccident in her Magic Picture and had notified the Wizardto provide the straw, for she knew the adventurers werenot likely to find straw in the country through whichthey were now traveling.

They lost no time in stuffing the Scarecrow anew, andhe was greatly delighted at being able to walk aroundagain and to assume the leadership of the little party.

"Really," said Trot, "I think you're better than youwere before, for you are fresh and sweet all through andrustle beautifully when you move."

"Thank you, my dear," he replied gratefully. "I alwaysfeel like a new man when I'm freshly stuffed. No onelikes to get musty, you know, and even good straw may bespoiled by age."

"It was water that spoiled you, the last time,"remarked Button-Bright, "which proves that too muchbathing is as bad as too little. But, after all,Scarecrow, water is not as dangerous for you as fire."

"All things are good in moderation," declared theScarecrow. "But now, let us hurry on, or we shall notreach Glinda's palace by nightfall."