Then Tiktok spoke.
    "Why should you fight the Nome King?" he asked."He has done no wrong."
    "No wrong!" cried Dorothy."Isn't it wrong to imprison a queen mother and her ten 
children?"
    "They were sold to the Nome King by King Ev-ol-do," replied Tiktok. "It was the King 
of Ev who did wrong, and when he re-al-ized what he had done he jumped in-to the sea and 
drowned him-self."
    "This is news to me," said Ozma, thoughtfully."I had supposed the Nome King was all 
to blame in the matter.But, in any case, he must be made to liberate the prisoners."
    "My uncle Evoldo was a very wicked man," declared the Princess Langwidere."If he had 
drowned himself before he sold his family, no one would have cared.But he sold them to 
the powerful Nome King in exchange for a long life, and afterward destroyed the life by 
jumping into the sea."
    "Then," said Ozma, "he did not get the long life, and the Nome King must give up the 
prisoners.Where are they confined?"
    "No one knows, exactly," replied the Princess."For the king, whose name is Roquat of 
the Rocks, owns a splendid palace underneath the great mountain which is at the north end 
of this kingdom, and he has transformed the queen and her children into ornaments and 
bric-a-brac with which to decorate his rooms."
    "I'd like to know," said Dorothy, "who this Nome King is?"
    "I will tell you," replied Ozma."He is said to be the Ruler of the Underground World, 
and commands the rocks and all that the rocks contain.Under his rule are many thousands 
of the Nomes, who are queerly shaped but powerful sprites that labor at the furnaces and 
forges of their king, making gold and silver and other metals which they conceal in the 
crevices of the rocks, so that those living upon the earth's surface can only find them 
with great difficulty.Also they make diamonds and rubies and emeralds, which they hide in 
the ground; so that the kingdom of the Nomes is wonderfully rich, and all we have of 
precious stones and silver and gold is what we take from the earth and rocks where the 
Nome King has hidden them."
    "I understand," said Dorothy, nodding her little head wisely.
    "For the reason that we often steal his treasures," continued Ozma, "the Ruler of the 
Underground World is not fond of those who live upon the earth's surface, and never 
appears among us.If we wish to see King Roquat of the Rocks, we must visit his own 
country, where he is all powerful, and therefore it will be a dangerous undertaking."
    "But, for the sake of the poor prisoners," said Dorothy, "we ought to do it."
    "We shall do it," replied the Scarecrow, "although it requires a lot of courage for 
me to go near to the furnaces of the Nome King.For I am only stuffed with straw, and a 
single spark of fire might destroy me entirely."
    "The furnaces may also melt my tin," said the Tin Woodman; "but I am going."
    "I can't bear heat," remarked the Princess Langwidere, yawning lazily, "so I shall 
stay at home.But I wish you may have success in your undertaking, for I am heartily tired 
of ruling this stupid kingdom, and I need more leisure in which to admire my beautiful 
heads."
    "We do not need you," said Ozma."For, if with the aid of my brave followers I cannot 
accomplish my purpose, then it would be useless for you to undertake the journey."
    "Quite true," sighed the Princess."So, if you'll excuse me, I will now retire to my 
cabinet.I've worn this head quite awhile, and I want to change it for another."
    When she had left them (and you may be sure no one was sorry to see her go) Ozma said 
to Tiktok:
    "Will you join our party?"
    "I am the slave of the girl Dor-oth-y, who rescued me from pris-on," replied the 
machine."Where she goes I will go."
    "Oh, I am going with my friends, of course," said Dorothy, quickly. "I wouldn't miss 
the fun for anything.Will you go, too, Billina?"
    "To be sure," said Billina in a careless tone.She was smoothing down the feathers of 
her back and not paying much attention.
    "Heat is just in her line," remarked the Scarecrow."If she is nicely roasted, she 
will be better than ever."
    "Then" said Ozma, "we will arrange to start for the Kingdom of the Nomes at daybreak 
tomorrow.And, in the meantime, we will rest and prepare ourselves for the journey."
    Although Princess Langwidere did not again appear to her guests, the palace servants 
waited upon the strangers from Oz and did everything in their power to make the party 
comfortable.There were many vacant rooms at their disposal, and the brave Army of 
twenty-seven was easily provided for and liberally feasted.
    The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger were unharnessed from the chariot and allowed 
to roam at will throughout the palace, where they nearly frightened the servants into 
fits, although they did no harm at all.At one time Dorothy found the little maid Nanda 
crouching in terror in a corner, with the Hungry Tiger standing before her.
    "You certainly look delicious," the beast was saying."Will you kindly give me 
permission to eat you?"
    "No, no, no!" cried the maid in reply.
    "Then," said the Tiger, yawning frightfully, "please to get me about thirty pounds of 
tenderloin steak, cooked rare, with a peck of boiled potatoes on the side, and five 
gallons of ice-cream for dessert."
    "I-I'll do the best I can!" said Nanda, and she ran away as fast as she could go.
    "Are you so very hungry?" asked Dorothy, in wonder.
    "You can hardly imagine the size of my appetite," replied the Tiger, sadly."It seems 
to fill my whole body, from the end of my throat to the tip of my tail.I am very sure the 
appetite doesn't fit me, and is too large for the size of my body.Some day, when I meet a 
dentist with a pair of forceps, I'm going to have it pulled."
    "What, your tooth?" asked Dorothy.
    "No, my appetite," said the Hungry Tiger.
    The little girl spent most of the afternoon talking with the Scarecrow and the Tin 
Woodman, who related to her all that had taken place in the Land of Oz since Dorothy had 
left it.She was much interested in the story of Ozma, who had been, when a baby, stolen 
by a wicked old witch and transformed into a boy.She did not know that she had ever been 
a girl until she was restored to her natural form by a kind sorceress.
    Then it was found that she was the only child of the former Ruler of Oz, and was 
entitled to rule in his place.Ozma had many adventures, however, before she regained her 
father's throne, and in these she was accompanied by a pumpkin-headed man, a highly 
magnified and thoroughly educated Woggle-Bug, and a wonderful sawhorse that had been 
brought to life by means of a magic powder.The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman had also 
assisted her; but the Cowardly Lion, who ruled the great forest as the King of Beasts, 
knew nothing of Ozma until after she became the reigning princess of Oz.Then he journeyed 
to the Emerald City to see her, and on hearing she was about to visit the Land of Ev to 
set free the royal family of that country, the Cowardly Lion begged to go with her, and 
brought along his friend, the Hungry Tiger, as well.
    Having heard this story, Dorothy related to them her own adventures, and then went 
out with her friends to find the Sawhorse, which Ozma had caused to be shod with plates 
of gold, so that its legs would not wear out.