"Can you hear?" asked the Hungry Tiger curiously.
Carter nodded. "I think they're even better than the last pair," he confided happily. "It isn't everyone who can pick a new ear when his old one pops or wears out. Not so bad being a Vegetable Man, eh, Betsy, my dear?"
"No," agreed the little girl thoughtfully, "and you haven't taken root for a long time, have you Carter?"
The Vegetable Man grinned. "Haven't had a chance," he chuckled merrily. "We haven't stayed in one place long enough for that. I hope the next country we come to is calm and quiet and that I can pick up a cart and some fresh vegetables."
"I hope we can pick up a square meal," roared the Hungry Tiger, licking his whiskers hungrily.
"I hope there's some magic!" Clasping her hands, Betsy looked around expectantly. "Then we could cross the Deadly Desert and go home. I kinda miss Dorothy and Ozma," she acknowledged wistfully. "And I'd like to see Hank."
"Well, I hope we find the last ruby," exclaimed Prince Evered. "The one Kaliko had must have been the ruby that protected one from danger by water. You said he bought it from a fisherman, Carter?"
"Yes," mused the Vegetable Man. "It must be the one Irashi flung into the river, while the one I found was the ruby that protects from danger on the earth and under the earth. Look how it saved us from the pick-axes and the fire-fall!"
"Then the only one left to find is the ruby that protects you from danger in the air," reflected Betsy thoughtfully. "Do you s'pose we'll have to fly up in the air to find it?"
