world."

Hearing this, the officers became quite worried
and gathered closer about their soldier.

"What is the thing like?" asked one.

"The only picture of a Rak that I ever saw in a
book was rather blurred," said Files, "because the
book was not quite ripe when it was picked. But
the creature can fly in the air and run like a
deer and swim like a fish. Inside its body is a
glowing furnace of fire, and the Rak breathes in
air and breathes out smoke, which darkens the sky
for miles around, wherever it goes. It is bigger
than a hundred men and feeds on any living thing."

The officers now began to groan and to tremble,
but Files tried to cheer them, saying:

"It may not be a Rak, after all, that we see
approaching us, and you must not forget that we
people of Oogaboo, which is part of the fairyland
of Oz, cannot be killed."

"Nevertheless," said Captain Buttons, "if the
Rak catches us, and chews us up into small pieces,
and swallows us--what will happen then?"

"Then each small piece will still be alive,"