"They do not belong here," returned the Prince. "They have no right
to be inside the earth at all."

"We didn't ask to come down here; we fell," said Dorothy.

"That is no excuse," declared the Prince, coldly.

The children looked at each other in perplexity, and the Wizard
sighed. Eureka rubbed her paw on her face and said in her soft,
purring voice:

"He won't need to destroy ME, for if I don't get something to eat
pretty soon I shall starve to death, and so save him the trouble."

"If he planted you, he might grow some cat-tails," suggested the Wizard.

"Oh, Eureka! perhaps we can find you some milk-weeds to eat,"
said the boy.

"Phoo!" snarled the kitten; "I wouldn't touch the nasty things!"

"You don't need milk, Eureka," remarked Dorothy; "you are big enough
now to eat any kind of food."

"If I can get it," added Eureka.

"I'm hungry myself," said Zeb. "But I noticed some strawberries
growing in one of the gardens, and some melons in another place.
These people don't eat such things, so perhaps on our way back they
will let us get them."