Дороти и Волшебник в стране Оз
11. They Meet the Wooden Gargoyles
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Withthisspeechhebentforwardanddraggedthebuggyuptheremainingsteps.Theothersfollowedandsoontheywereallstandinguponabroadplatformandgazingatthemostcuriousandstartlingsighttheireyeshadeverbeheld.
"TheCountryoftheGargoylesisallwooden!"exclaimedZeb;andsoitwas.Thegroundwassawdustandthepebblesscatteredaroundwerehardknotsfromtrees,wornsmoothincourseoftime.Therewereoddwoodenhouses,withcarvedwoodenflowersinthefrontyards.Thetree-trunkswereofcoarsewood,buttheleavesofthetreeswereshavings.Thepatchesofgrassweresplintersofwood,andwhereneithergrassnorsawdustshowedwasasolidwoodenflooring.Woodenbirdsflutteredamongthetreesandwoodencowswerebrowsinguponthewoodengrass;butthemostamazingthingsofallwerethewoodenpeople—thecreaturesknownasGargoyles.
Thesewereverynumerous,fortheplacewasthicklyinhabited,andalargegroupofthequeerpeopleclusterednear,gazingsharplyuponthestrangerswhohademergedfromthelongspiralstairway.
TheGargoyleswereverysmallofstature,beinglessthanthreefeetinheight.Theirbodieswereround,theirlegsshortandthickandtheirarmsextraordinarilylongandstout.Theirheadsweretoobigfortheirbodiesandtheirfacesweredecidedlyuglytolookupon.Somehadlong,curvednosesandchins,smalleyesandwide,grinningmouths.Othershadflatnoses,protrudingeyes,andearsthatwereshapedlikethoseofanelephant.Thereweremanytypes,indeed,scarcelytwobeingalike;butallwereequallydisagreeableinappearance.
