complain of your wise and gracious rule?"
    "No; but they say it is a poor rule that don't work both ways," answered the 
Scarecrow; "and these females are also of the opinion that men have ruled the land long 
enough. So they have captured my city, robbed the treasury of all its jewels, and are 
running things to suit themselves."
    "Dear me! What an extraordinary idea!" cried the Emperor, who was both shocked and 
surprised.
    "And I heard some of them say," said Tip, "that they intend to march here and capture 
the castle and city of the Tin Woodman."
    "Ah! we must not give them time to do that," said the Emperor, quickly; "we will go 
at once and recapture the Emerald City and place the Scarecrow again upon his throne."
    "I was sure you would help me," remarked the Scarecrow in a pleased voice. "How large 
an army can you assemble?"
    "We do not need an army," replied the Woodman. "We four, with the aid of my gleaming 
axe, are enough to strike terror into the hearts of the rebels."
    "We five," corrected the Pumpkinhead.
    "Five?" repeated the Tin Woodman.
    "Yes; the Saw-Horse is brave and fearless," answered Jack, forgetting his recent 
quarrel with the quadruped.
    The Tin Woodman looked around him in a puzzled way, for the Saw-Horse had until now 
remained quietly standing in a corner, where the Emperor had not noticed him. Tip 
immediately called the odd-looking creature to them, and it approached so awkwardly that 
it nearly upset the beautiful center-table and the engraved oil-can.
    "I begin to think," remarked the Tin Woodman as he looked earnestly at the Saw-Horse, 
"that wonders will never cease! How came this creature alive?"
    "I did it with a magic powder," modestly asserted the boy. "and the Saw- Horse has 
been very useful to us."
    "He enabled us to escape the rebels," added the Scarecrow.
    "Then we must surely accept him as a comrade," declared the emperor. "A live 
Saw-Horse is a distinct novelty, and should prove an interesting study. Does he know 
anything?"
    "Well, I cannot claim any great experience in life," the Saw-Horse answered for 
himself. "but I seem to learn very quickly, and often it occurs to me that I know more 
than any of those around me."
    "Perhaps you do," said the emperor; "for experience does not always mean wisdom. But 
time is precious Just now, so let us quickly make preparations to start upon our Journey.
    The emperor called his Lord High Chancellor and instructed him how to run the kingdom 
during his absence.
    Meanwhile the Scarecrow was taken apart and the painted sack that served him for a 
head was carefully laundered and restuffed with the brains originally given him by the 
great Wizard. His clothes were also cleaned and pressed by the Imperial tailors, and his 
crown polished and again sewed upon his head, for the Tin Woodman insisted he should not 
renounce this badge of royalty. The Scarecrow now presented a very respectable 
appearance, and although in no way addicted to vanity he was quite pleased with himself 
and strutted a trifle as he walked. While this was being done Tip mended the wooden limbs 
of Jack Pumpkinhead and made them stronger than before, and the Saw-Horse was also 
inspected to see if he was in good working order.
    Then bright and early the next morning they set out upon the return Journey to the 
emerald City, the Tin Woodman bearing upon his shoulder a gleaming axe and leading the 
way, while the Pumpkinhead rode upon the Saw-Horse and Tip and the Scarecrow walked upon 
either side to make sure that he didn't fall off or become damaged.
    
    
    Mr. H. M. Woggle-Bug, T. E.
    
    Now, General Jinjur - who, you will remember, commanded the Army of Revolt - was 
rendered very uneasy by the escape of the Scarecrow from the Emerald City. She feared, 
and with good reason, that if his Majesty and the Tin Woodman Joined forces, it would 
mean danger to her and her entire army; for the people of Oz had not yet forgotten the 
deeds of these famous heroes, who had passed successfully through so many startling 
adventures.
    So Jinjur sent post-haste for old Mombi, the witch, and promised her large rewards if 
she would come to the assistance of the rebel army.
    Mombi was furious at the trick Tip had played upon her as well as at his escape and 
the theft of the precious Powder of Life; so she needed no urging to induce her to travel 
to the Emerald City to assist Jinjur in defeating the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, who 
had made Tip one of their friends.
    Mombi had no sooner arrived at the royal palace than she discovered, by means of her 
secret magic, that the adventurers were starting upon their Journey to the Emerald City; 
so she retired to a small room high up in a tower and locked herself in while she 
practised such arts as she could command to prevent the return of the Scarecrow and his 
companions.
    That was why the Tin Woodman presently stopped and said: "Something very curious has 
happened. I ought to know by heart and every step of this Journey, yet I fear we have 
already lost our way."
    "That is quite impossible!" protested the Scarecrow. "Why do you think, my dear 
friend, that we have gone astray?"
    "Why, here before us is a great field of sunflowers - and I never saw this field 
before in all my life." At these words they all looked around, only to find that they 
were indeed surrounded by a field of tall stalks, every stalk bearing at its top a 
gigantic sunflower. And not only were these flowers almost blinding in their vivid hues 
of red and gold, but each one whirled around upon its stalk like a miniature wind-mill, 
completely dazzling the vision of the beholders and so mystifying them that they knew not 
which way to turn.
    "It's witchcraft!" exclaimed Tip.
    While they paused, hesitating and wondering, the Tin Woodman uttered a cry of 
impatience and advanced with swinging axe to cut down the stalks before him. But now the 
sunflowers suddenly stopped their rapid whirling, and the travelers plainly saw a girl's 
face appear in the center of each flower. These lovely faces looked upon the astonished 
band with mocking smiles, and then burst into a chorus of merry laughter at the dismay 
their appearance caused.
    "Stop! stop!" cried Tip, seizing the Woodman's arm; "they're alive! they're girls!" 
At that moment the flowers began whirling again, and the faces faded away and were lost 
in the rapid revolutions.
    The Tin Woodman dropped his axe and sat down upon the ground.
    "It would be heartless to chop down those pretty creatures," said he, despondently. 
"and yet I do not know how else we can proceed upon our way"
    "They looked to me strangely like the faces of the Army of Revolt," mused the 
Scarecrow. "But I cannot conceive how the girls could have followed us here so quickly."
    "I believe it's magic," said Tip, positively, "and that someone is playing a trick