"It's witchcraft!" exclaimed Tip.
While they paused, hesitating and wondering, the Tin Woodman uttered a cry
of impatience and advanced with swinging axe to cut down the stalks before
him. But now the sunflowers suddenly stopped their rapid whirling, and the
travelers plainly saw a girl's face appear in the center of each flower.
These lovely faces looked upon the astonished band with mocking smiles, and
then burst into a chorus of merry laughter at the dismay their appearance
caused.
"Stop! stop!" cried Tip, seizing the Woodman's arm; "they're alive! they're
girls!"
At that moment the flowers began whirling again, and the faces faded away
and were lost in the rapid revolutions.
The Tin Woodman dropped his axe and sat down upon the ground.
"It would be heartless to chop down those pretty creatures," said he,
despondently. "and yet I do not know how else we can proceed upon our way"
"They looked to me strangely like the faces of
138
the Army of Revolt," mused the Scarecrow. "But I cannot conceive how the
girls could have followed us here so quickly."
"I believe it's magic," said Tip, positively, "and that someone is playing a
trick upon us. I've known old Mombi do things like that before.
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