"Did I understand you to say you are going to the Land of Oz?"
The words were spoken in a small, clear voice. At the same time the tall grass just in front of Shaggy and his friends parted, and a beaver stepped out and viewed them fearlessly.
Twink was amazed to see that the beaver wore a small golden crown on his head, while in his right paw he carried a slender beech rod.
"Yes," said the Shaggy Man, calmly regarding the beaver while he continued to munch a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "That is, we hope to get to the Land of Oz. First we must find some way to cross the Deadly Desert."
The beaver was silent for a moment, then he said: "Will you take me to Oz with you?"
"Take you with us!" exclaimed the Shaggy Man. "Why, we aren't at all sure we can get there ourselves. But why do you want to go to Oz? I can tell by your crown that you're a King of some sort and not an ordinary beaver."
"I am the King of the Fairy Beavers," announced the little animal, a bit proudly. "None of us are ordinary beavers, since we are fairy creatures. And as for why I want to visit Oz—well, I have heard wonderful tales of that famous fairyland, and I have long dreamed of visiting it."
"Seems to me," observed Tom, "that since you are a Fairy King, your magic powers could take you to Oz."
