The two
twisted their heads around and showed a black face on the white side
of one and a white face on the black side of the other.
"How curious," said Polychrome; "and how loose their heads seem to be!
Are they friendly to us, do you think?"
"Can't tell, Polly," replied Dorothy. "Let's ask 'em."
The creatures flopped first one way and then the other, showing black
or white by turns; and now another joined them, appearing on another
rock. Our friends had come to a little hollow in the hills, and the
place where they now stood was surrounded by jagged peaks of rock,
except where the road ran through.
"Now there are four of them," said the shaggy man.
"Five," declared Polychrome.
"Six," said Dorothy.
"Lots of 'em!" cried Button-Bright; and so there were--quite a row of
the two-sided black and white creatures sitting on the rocks all around.
Toto stopped barking and ran between Dorothy's feet, where he crouched
down as if afraid. The creatures did not look pleasant or friendly,
to be sure, and the shaggy man's donkey face became solemn, indeed.
"Ask 'em who they are, and what they want," whispered Dorothy;
so the shaggy man called out in a loud voice:
"Who are you?"
"Scoodlers!" they yelled in chorus, their voices sharp and shrill.
"What do you want?" called the shaggy man.
"You!" they yelled, pointing their thin fingers at the group;
and they all flopped around, so they were white, and then all
flopped back again, so they were black.
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