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They obeyed at once, and next served a fine large turbot on a silver
platter, with drawn gravey poured over it.
"Fish!" cried Jim, with a sniff. "Do you take me for a tom-cat? Away
with it!"
The servants were a little discouraged, but soon they brought in a great
tray containing two dozen nicely roasted quail on toast.
"Well, well!" said the horse, now thoroughly provoked. "Do you take me
for a weasel? How stupid and ignorant you are, in the Land of Oz, and
what dreadful things you feed upon! Is there nothing that is decent to
eat in this palace?"
The trembling servants sent for the Royal Steward, who came in haste and
said:
"What would your Highness like for dinner?"
"Highness!" repeated Jim, who was unused to such titles.
"You are at least six feet high, and that is higher than any other
animal in this country," said the Steward.
"Well, my Highness would like some oats," declared the horse.
"Oats? We have no whole oats," the Steward replied, with much
defference. "But there is any quantity of oatmeal, which we often cook
for breakfast. Oatmeal is a breakfast dish," added the Steward, humbly.
"I'll make it a dinner dish," said Jim. "Fetch it on, but don't cook it,
as you value your life."
You see, the respect shown the worn-out old cab-horse made him a little
arrogant, and he forgot he was a guest, never having been treated
otherwise than as a servant since the day he was born, until his arrival
in the Land of Oz. But the royal attendants did not heed the animal's
ill temper. They soon mixed a tub of oatmeal with a little water, and
Jim ate it with much relish.
Then the servants heaped a lot of rugs upon the floor and the old horse
slept on the softest bed he had ever known in his life.
In the morning, as soon as it was daylight, he resolved to take a walk
and try to find some grass for breakfast; so he ambled calmly through
the handsome arch of the doorway, turned the corner of the palace,
wherein all seemed asleep, and came face to face with the Sawhorse.
Jim stopped abruptly, being startled and amazed. The Sawhorse stopped at
the same time and stared at the other with its queer protruding eyes,
which were mere knots in the log that formed its body. The legs of the
Sawhorse were four sticks driven into holes bored in the log; its tail
was a small branch that had been left by accident and its mouth a place
chopped in one end of the body which projected a little and served as
a head. The ends of the wooden legs were shod with plates of solid gold,
and the saddle of the Princess Ozma, which was of red leather set with
sparkling diamonds, was strapped to the clumsy body.
[Illustration: "FOR GOODNESS SAKE, WHAT SORT OF A BEING ARE YOU?"]
Jim's eyes stuck out as much as those of the Sawhorse, and he stared at
the creature with his ears erect and his long head drawn back until it
rested against his arched neck.
In this comical position the two horses circled slowly around each other
for a while, each being unable to realize what the singular thing might
be which it now beheld for the first time. Then Jim exclaimed:
"For goodness sake, what sort of a being are you?"
"I'm a Sawhorse," replied the other.
"Oh; I believe I've heard of you," said the cab-horse; "but you are
unlike anything that I expected to see."
"I do not doubt it," the Sawhorse observed, with a tone of pride. "I am
considered quite unusual."
"You are, indeed. But a rickety wooden thing like you has no right to be
alive."
"I couldn't help it," returned the other, rather crestfallen. "Ozma
sprinkled me with a magic powder, and I just had to live. I know I'm not
much account; but I'm the only horse in all the Land of Oz, so they
treat me with great respect."
"You, a horse!"
"Oh, not a real one, of course. There are no real horses here at all.
But I'm a splendid imitation of one."
Jim gave an indignant neigh.
"Look at me!" he cried. "Behold a real horse!"
The wooden animal gave a start, and then examined the other intently.
"Is it possible that you are a Real Horse?" he murmured.
"Not only possible, but true," replied Jim, who was gratified by the