Ɖe wr oblîjd t camp ǎt ɖt nît undr a larj tri in ɖ forist, fr ɖr wr no hǎzz nir. Ɖ tri md a gd, ʈic cuṿrñ t pṛtct ɖm fṛm ɖ dȳ, n ɖ Tin Wŭdmn ćopt a gret pîl v wŭd wɖ hiz ax n Doṛʈi bilt a splendid fîr ɖt wormd hr n md hr fīl les lonli. Ś n Toto ét ɖ last v ɖer bred, n nǎ ś dd nt nǒ ẃt ɖe wd d fr brecfst.
“F y wś,” sd ɖ Layn, “I wl g intu ɖ forist n cil a dír fr y. Y cn rost it bî ɖ fîr, sins yr tests r so pkłr ɖt y prifŕ cct fūd, n ɖen y wl hv a vri gd brecfst.”
“D’nt! Plīz d’nt,” begd ɖ Tin Wŭdmn. “I śd srtnli wīp f y cild a pur dír, n ɖen mî jwz wd rust agn.”
Bt ɖ Layn wnt awe intu ɖ forist n faund hiz ǒn supr, n nwn evr ń ẃt it wz, fr h dd’nt mnśn it. N ɖ Scercro faund a tri fl v nuts n fild Doṛʈi’z bascit wɖ ɖm, so ɖt ś wd nt b hungri fr a loñ tîm. Ś ʈt ɖs wz vri cînd n ʈōtfl v ɖ Scercro, bt ś laft harṭli at ɖ ōcẉd we in ẃć ɖ pur crīćr pict p ɖ nuts. Hiz padd handz wr so clumzi n ɖ nuts wr so smōl ɖt h dropt olmst az mni az h pt in ɖ bascit. Bt ɖ Scercro dd nt mînd hǎ loñ it tc him t fil ɖ bascit, fr it inebld him t cīp awe fṛm ɖ fîr, az h fird a sparc mt gt intu hiz strw n brn him p. So h cept a gd distns awe fṛm ɖ flemz, n onli cem nir t cuvr Doṛʈi wɖ drî līvz ẃn ś le dǎn t slīp. Ɖz cept hr vri snug n worm, n ś slept sǎndli untl mornñ.
Ẃn it wz dêlît, ɖ grl beɖd hr fes in a litl riplñ brŭc, n sn aftr ɖe ol startd twd ɖ Emṛld Siti.
Ɖs wz t b an ivntfl de fr ɖ travlrz. Ɖe hd hardli bn wōcñ an aur ẃn ɖe sw bfr ɖm a gret dić ɖt crost ɖ rod n dvîdd ɖ forist az far az ɖe cd si on îɖr sîd. It wz a vri wîd dić, n ẃn ɖe crept p t ɖ éj n lct intu it ɖe cd si it wz olso vri dīp, n ɖr wr mni big, jagid rocs at ɖ botm. Ɖ sîdz wr so stīp ɖt nn v ɖm cd clîm dǎn, n fr a momnt it sīmd ɖt ɖer jrni mst end.
“Ẃt śl w d?” asct Doṛʈi dspẹrñli.
“I hv’nt ɖ fentist îdīa,” sd ɖ Tin Wŭdmn, n ɖ Layn śc hiz śagi mein n lct ʈōtfl.
Bt ɖ Scercro sd, “W canot flî, ɖt z srtn. Nɖr cn w clîm dǎn intu ɖs gret dić. Ɖrfr, f w canot jump ovr it, w mst stop ẃr w r.”
“I ʈnc I cd jump ovr it,” sd ɖ Cawdli Layn, aftr meẓ́rñ ɖ distns cerḟli in hiz mînd.
“Ɖen w r ol rît,” ansrd ɖ Scercro, “fr y cn cari s ol ovr on yr bac, wn at a tîm.”
“Wel, I’l trî it,” sd ɖ Layn. “Hu wl g frst?”
“I wl,” dclerd ɖ Scercro, “fr, f y faund ɖt y cd nt jump ovr ɖ gulf, Doṛʈi wd b cild, or ɖ Tin Wŭdmn badli dntd on ɖ rocs b’lo. Bt f I am on yr bac it wl nt matr so mć, fr ɖ fōl wd nt hrt m at ol.”
“I am teṛbli afreid v fōlñ, mslf,” sd ɖ Cawdli Layn, “bt I s’poz ɖr z nʈñ t d bt trî it. So gt on mî bac n w wl mc ɖ atmt.”
Ɖ Scercro sat upn ɖ Layn’z bac, n ɖ big bīst wōct t ɖ éj v ɖ gulf n crǎćt dǎn.
“Ẃ d’nt y run n jump?” asct ɖ Scercro.
“Bcz ɖt z’nt ɖ we w Laynz d ɖz ʈñz,” h rplaid. Ɖen gvñ a gret sprñ, h śot ʈru ɖ er n landd sefli on ɖ uɖr sîd. Ɖe wr ol gretli plizd t si hǎ īẓli h dd it, n aftr ɖ Scercro hd got dǎn fṛm hiz bac ɖ Layn sprañ acrs ɖ dić agn.
Doṛʈi ʈt ś wd g nxt; so ś tc Toto in hr armz n clîmd on ɖ Layn’z bac, holdñ tîtli t hiz mein wɖ wn hand. Ɖ nxt momnt it sīmd az f ś wr flayñ ʈru ɖ er; n ɖen, bfr ś hd tîm t ʈnc abt it, ś wz sef on ɖ uɖr sîd. Ɖ Layn wnt bac a ʈrd tîm n got ɖ Tin Wŭdmn, n ɖen ɖe ol sat dǎn fr a fy momnts t gv ɖ bīst a ćans t rest, fr hiz gret līps hd md hiz breʈ śort, n h pantd lîc a big dog ɖt hz bn runñ tù loñ.
Ɖe faund ɖ forist vri ʈic on ɖs sîd, n it lct darc n glūmi. Aftr ɖ Layn hd restd ɖe startd alñ ɖ rod v yelo bric, sîḷntli wunḍrñ, ć in hiz ǒn mînd, f evr ɖe wd cm t ɖ end v ɖ wŭdz n rīć ɖ brît súnśîn agn. T ad t ɖer dscumḟt, ɖe sn hŕd strenj nôzz in ɖ depʈs v ɖ forist, n ɖ Layn ẃisprd t ɖm ɖt it wz in ɖs part v ɖ cuntri ɖt ɖ Caḷdāz livd.
“Ẃt r ɖ Caḷdāz?” asct ɖ grl.
“Ɖe r monstṛs bīsts wɖ bodiz lîc berz n hedz lîc tîgrz,” rplaid ɖ Layn, “n wɖ clwz so loñ n śarp ɖt ɖe cd ter m in tū az īẓli az I cd cil Toto. I’m teṛbli afreid v ɖ Caḷdāz.”
“I’m nt s’prîzd ɖt y r,” rtrnd Doṛʈi. “Ɖe mst b dredfl bīsts.”
Ɖ Layn wz abt t rplî ẃn sudnli ɖe cem t anɖr gulf acrs ɖ rod. Bt ɖs wn wz so brōd n dīp ɖt ɖ Layn ń at wns h cd nt līp acrs it.
So ɖe sat dǎn t cnsidr ẃt ɖe śd d, n aftr sirịs ʈōt ɖ Scercro sd:
“Hir z a gret tri, standñ clos t ɖ dić. F ɖ Tin Wŭdmn cn ćop it dǎn, so ɖt it wl fōl t ɖ uɖr sîd, w cn wōc acrs it īẓli.”
“Ɖt z a frst-ret îdīa,” sd ɖ Layn. “Wn wd olmst sspct y hd brenz in yr hed, instd v strw.”
Ɖ Wŭdmn set t wrc at wns, n so śarp wz hiz ax ɖt ɖ tri wz sn ćopt nirli ʈru. Ɖen ɖ Layn pt hiz stroñ frunt legz agnst ɖ tri n pśt wɖ ol hiz mt, n slǒli ɖ big tri tipt n fél wɖ a craś acrs ɖ dić, wɖ its top branćz on ɖ uɖr sîd.
Ɖe hd jst startd t cros ɖs qir brij ẃn a śarp grǎl md ɖm ol lc p, n t ɖer horr ɖe sw runñ twd ɖm tū gret bīsts wɖ bodiz lîc berz n hedz lîc tîgrz.
“Ɖe r ɖ Caḷdāz!” sd ɖ Cawdli Layn, bginñ t trembl.
“Qc!” craid ɖ Scercro. “Let s cros ovr.”
So Doṛʈi wnt frst, holdñ Toto in hr armz, ɖ Tin Wŭdmn foloud, n ɖ Scercro cem nxt. Ɖ Layn, olɖo h wz srtnli afreid, trnd t fes ɖ Caḷdāz, n ɖen h gev so lǎd n teṛbl a ror ɖt Doṛʈi scrīmd n ɖ Scercro fél ovr bcwd, ẃl īvn ɖ firs bīsts stopt śort n lct at him in s’prîz.
Bt, siyñ ɖe wr bigr ɖn ɖ Layn, n rmemḅrñ ɖt ɖr wr tū v ɖm n onli wn v him, ɖ Caḷdāz agn ruśt fwd, n ɖ Layn crost ovr ɖ tri n trnd t si ẃt ɖe wd d nxt. Wɖt stopñ an instnt ɖ firs bīsts olso bgan t cros ɖ tri. N ɖ Layn sd t Doṛʈi:
“W r lost, fr ɖe wl śrli ter s t pìsz wɖ ɖer śarp clwz. Bt stand clos bhnd m, n I wl fît ɖm az loñ az I am alîv.”
“Wêt a minit!” cōld ɖ Scercro. H hd bn ʈncñ ẃt wz bst t b dn, n nǎ h asct ɖ Wŭdmn t ćop awe ɖ end v ɖ tri ɖt restd on ɖer sîd v ɖ dić. Ɖ Tin Wŭdmn bgan t yz hiz ax at wns, n, jst az ɖ tū Caḷdāz wr nirli acrs, ɖ tri fél wɖ a craś intu ɖ gulf, cariyñ ɖ ugli, snarlñ brūts wɖ it, n bʈ wr daśt t pìsz on ɖ śarp rocs at ɖ botm.
“Wel,” sd ɖ Cawdli Layn, drw̃ a loñ breʈ v rlif, “I si w r gwñ t liv a litl ẃl longr, n I am glad v it, fr it mst b a vri uncumftbl ʈñ nt t b alîv. Ɖoz crīćrz frîtnd m so badli ɖt mî hart z bìtñ yt.”
“Ā,” sd ɖ Tin Wŭdmn sadli, “I wś I hd a hart t bìt.”
Ɖs advnćr md ɖ travlrz mor añśs ɖn evr t gt ǎt v ɖ forist, n ɖe wōct so fast ɖt Doṛʈi bcem tîrd, n hd t rîd on ɖ Layn’z bac. T ɖer gret jô ɖ triz bcem ʈinr ɖ farɖr ɖe advanst, n in ɖ afṭnun ɖe sudnli cem upn a brōd rivr, flowñ swiftli jst bfr ɖm. On ɖ uɖr sîd v ɖ wōtr ɖe cd si ɖ rod v yelo bric runñ ʈru a bytifl cuntri, wɖ grīn medoz dotd wɖ brît flǎrz n ol ɖ rod bordrd wɖ triz haññ fl v dliśs frūts. Ɖe wr gretli plizd t si ɖs dlîtfl cuntri bfr ɖm.
“Hǎ śl w cros ɖ rivr?” asct Doṛʈi.
“Ɖt z īẓli dn,” rplaid ɖ Scercro. “Ɖ Tin Wŭdmn mst bild s a raft, so w cn flot t ɖ uɖr sîd.”
So ɖ Wŭdmn tc hiz ax n bgan t ćop dǎn smōl triz t mc a raft, n ẃl h wz bizi at ɖs ɖ Scercro faund on ɖ rivrbanc a tri fl v fîn frūt. Ɖs plizd Doṛʈi, hu hd ītn nʈñ bt nuts ol de, n ś md a harti mīl v ɖ rîp frūt.
Bt it tecs tîm t mc a raft, īvn ẃn wn z az industrịs n untîrñ az ɖ Tin Wŭdmn, n ẃn nît cem ɖ wrc wz nt dn. So ɖe faund a cozy ples undr ɖ triz ẃr ɖe slept wel untl ɖ mornñ; n Doṛʈi drīmd v ɖ Emṛld Siti, n v ɖ gd Wiẓd Óz, hu wd sn snd hr bac t hr ǒn hom agn.
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