30.绿野仙踪-21-3

"what is your trouble?" asked the Lion quietly.
"We are all threatened," answered the tiger," by a fierce enemry which has lately come into this forest.
It is a most tremendous monster, like a great spider, with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a tree trunk.
It has eight of these longs legs, and as the monster crawls through the forest he seizes an animals with a leg and drags it to his mouth, where he eats it a a spider does a fly.
Not one of us is safe while this fierce creature is alive, and we had called a meeting to decied how to take care of ourselves when you came among us."
The Lion thought for a moment.
"Are there any other lions in this forest?" he asked.
"No; there were some, but the monster has eaten them all. And, besides, they were none of them nearly so large and brave as you."
"If I put an end to your enemy, will you bow down to me and obey me as King of the Forest?" inquired the Lion.
"We will do that gladly," returned the tiger; and all the other beasts roared with mighty roar: "We will!"
"Where is this great spider of your now?" asked the Lion.
"Yonder, among the oak trees," said the tiger, pointing with his forefoot.